


Solving A Non-Existent Problem

by centeast, sapphireej



Series: Family With A Twist [1]
Category: 9-1-1 (TV), 9-1-1: Lone Star (TV 2020)
Genre: Established Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:15:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 66,515
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23678227
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/centeast/pseuds/centeast, https://archiveofourown.org/users/sapphireej/pseuds/sapphireej
Summary: New couple TK and Carlos take a trip to Los Angeles for business and family time, but when TK runs into an old friend he hasn’t seen in years, soon the young Strand is helping resolve a problem his friend didn’t even know he had... Established Tarlos, Friends to Lovers Buddie.
Relationships: Carlos Reyes/TK Strand, Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan “Buck” Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Owen Strand & TK Strand, TK Strand & Evan "Buck" Buckley
Series: Family With A Twist [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1881766
Comments: 85
Kudos: 609





	1. A Blast From The Past, Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Greetings! Though we are familiar with writing in other fandoms, this is our first adventure in writing in the 911 Universe. Please be gentle and hope you all enjoy! We’re definitely excited that both series were picked up for new seasons, so we can’t wait for new episodes!

" _You are cordially invited to the 50th wedding anniversary celebration and family reunion of Samuel & Sylvia Strand, at Palisades Park in Santa Monica, California._"

"Damn it," Owen groaned, tossing the envelope and invitation on the table as he glared at it.

"Did you get a paper cut?" TK wondered, trying not to laugh at his dad’s reaction to the mystery letter.

"No, worse," Owen responded, sliding the document over to his son, "your grandparents are celebrating their 50th and we can’t go."

TK picked up the invitation, reading over the details of the upcoming Strand family reunion, contemplating his next words carefully. "Well...I get why you can’t go, but I could go to represent us instead. I mean it’s LA! And I’m still on medical leave, so I can either sit around here all day watching TV or go visit family. I really don’t mind traveling alone, and it’s not like I have a ton of things filling my calendar right now."

Owen wanted to tell him ‘no’, but he knew a little getaway could be a great way to distract him from all the negatives in his life at the moment - Owen’s cancer, Buttercup’s cancer, and TK not being able to do the job he wants to do, all because he was shot. And with him out on leave, the team was down a member, so Owen couldn’t justify going to a family reunion at the moment, and if TK attended, it hopefully would keep the Strands from reading Owen the riot act for not attending such a big celebration.

"Yo, dad I can hear the gears turning clear over here. Are you going to say something or do I have to guess what you are thinking? I really don’t want to be in that mind of yours," TK explained with a bit of a laugh. "But in reality, are you alright?"

"Just give me a minute to think," Owen laughed, shucking out of his jacket, "are you sure it’s a good idea for you to be traveling with a bum shoulder?"

"I don’t see what’s the big deal. I can carry my backpack with the other shoulder and it’s not like this is the first time I’ve had a problem with my shoulder. Remember lacrosse senior year? Good thing I dislocated my shoulder at the end of the season or I would have been pissed I missed out on playing that year."

"If you’re sure," Owen eyed him and when TK shrugged and nodded, the older man caved, "alright, I’ll RSVP for you; at least that way the family knows someone’s coming."

TK smirked, "should we take bets on who calls you out on it or when that happens?"

~*~

The unseasonably warm evening for April, even in Austin, was making Carlos think about running through all of the sprinklers on his walk up to the Strand’s door. He was thankful that every house in Texas had air conditioning built-in. Before he could even lift his hand up to knock on the door, it flew open and a very animated TK grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him inside, the door closing quickly behind him.

"It’s too freaking hot out there right now. How can you be wearing jeans in that heat?" TK groaned as he took in the polo shirt and jeans that Carlos had on.

"Hello to you, too," Carlos laughed lightly, noticing now that his boyfriend was wearing a sleeveless shirt and board shorts that had recently been TK’s wardrobe with the warmer days lately. Following his boyfriend into the living room, Carlos could see his laptop was out and the picture of an airplane on the screen caught his attention, "um, sweetie, are thinking of running away already?"

"Only if I can kidnap you and take you with me," TK smirked, moving into the kitchen, "you hungry?" He wondered, passing off the question as he collected two bottles of water for them.

While TK was gone, Carlos had a chance to get a better look at the destination and he quickly noticed the familiar ‘LAX’ in the ‘to’ column, "uh, no, I’m good. You’re planning to go to LA?"

"Quit freaking out," TK could already see the concern building in his boyfriend’s expressions when he returned, "dad and I got an invitation to my grandparent’s 50th wedding anniversary slash family reunion and since I’ve got nothing to do at the time, I’m going stag," he explained simply, "unless you wanna be my plus one?" He wondered playfully, returning to his seat on the couch.

"I’m not freaking out," Carlos noted, but at TK’s ‘yeah right’ look, he sighed, "okay, not freaking out, but definitely concerned."

"What’s there to be concerned about? It’s sun, sand and the ocean; and I’m gonna be with my family," he added, "well, I guess that's something to be concerned about. They can get a little, um, extreme."

"Uh, I am going to ask about your family later, because that is important, but wasn’t Santa Monica devastated by that freak tsunami last fall?" Carlos explains, easily citing known events.

"Yeah, they did, but we also had a tornado here and a solar flare knock everything out around the city, but you don’t seem too concerned about me going out around here," TK laughed, "it’s a natural disaster. California also gets earthquakes."

"That I know. I just worry about you because you are accident-prone, and there’s already one firefighter in LA who’s accident-prone," Carlos jabs back playfully, "and I don’t know if the city of LA could handle another one."

TK’s mouth fell open in shock for a moment, wanting to continue with the banter, but he also knew it was a very truthful statement, "what? Is this some jab at firefighters?"

"No, not at all. You firefighters are just more likely to fall off ladders is all, even when it’s not Friday the 13th," Carlos can’t help but continue to banter, though after a moment, he sobered and eyed TK, "where are you staying and when are you leaving? It’d be nice to be on the same flight," he admitted, waiting for TK to put the details together.

"Wait, you’re going to LA, too?" TK gasped, piecing everything together, "when? Why? And if you can be concerned about me, then I damn sure am going to be concerned about you! There are tons of crazy people there."

"You’re not helping your case," Carlos laughed, "but if you must know, my boss asked me if I’d go to LA to attend a police conference and it looks to be the same weekend that you’re going."

As the puzzle began to fit together in TK’s brain, he couldn’t help the sly grin growing on his lips, "so, are you thinking what I’m thinking?"

"I will not respond to that while your dad is in the house," Carlos muttered, his cheeks flushing.

"Babe, he already knows we’ve had that fun. I tell him _almost_ everything." TK teases.

"Okay, moving on," Carlos pulled his phone from his pocket and looked for the email from his boss and then turned to show the screen to TK, "here’s my itinerary."

"Oh, and it’s even color-coded," TK smirked, taking the phone to look over, "and I don’t have to be there until Saturday, but if we go early in the week, we could have a day together before you have to go play cops and eat donuts at the convention and I can visit with family I haven't seen in a while."

"It’s not all donuts and playing cops, I still have to wear something like my uniform," Carlos pouts.

"I do love a man in uniform, but does that mean I get to take it off of you at night?" TK wonders, kicking his legs up on his boyfriend’s lap as they sit on the couch together.

"If anyone else did, I’d have to arrest them, so yes, that’s your job on this vacation, maybe we can negotiate more terms later," Carlos smirks.

TK took a deep breath and smiled, pulling his laptop back upon his legs, "alright, let’s seriously make these flight arrangements. Guess I’m not going solo after all."

~*~

"Are you sure you have your IDs? And your reservations?" Owen asked, glancing at TK in the passenger seat, "and the gifts for your grandparents, right?"

"Yes, dad, I have all of that," TK motioned to the backpack in his lap, "don’t worry. I’m not sure who worries more; you or him," he turned to look at Carlos, "is there anything we could be forgetting?"

"Owen, don’t worry we know how to utilize the buddy system. I’ll have a leash on your son the whole time," Carlos replies, then realizes the context of the sentence. "Oh I am so sor…"

"Woah, that’s enough! Stop right there! I don’t need to know about my son’s bedroom, car or bunk room escapades," Owen groaned, sobering quickly to continue, "have fun, I don’t envy you having to spend time with the family. Call me when you get there. Oh and Carlos, I RSVP’d for two, so you have to go now. Consider it a ‘welcome to the family’ present."

~*~

After a three hour flight and a two hour time change, TK and Carlos barely made the call to Owen to let him know they’d arrived, before getting their rental car and heading to their hotel in Santa Monica Tuesday. 

With the sun streaming into their windows the next morning, both men stirred a little when they realized they hadn’t closed their curtains before getting to bed that night; they’d been that tired and exhausted.

As TK rolled over, he realized he had not set an alarm, but when he saw the time of 8:30 am on his phone, he bolted out of bed, thinking he was going to be late for work. It was not until he took in his surroundings that he realized where he was; in a hotel room on vacation with his boyfriend. This caused a smile to play at his lips, because he knew they weren’t in a rush to get anywhere that day and he quickly decided to let Carlos sleep a little bit longer while he went about his morning routine. Soon wanting to soak in as much time together as he could with his new boyfriend, TK carefully settled back into bed with him and draped himself over his boyfriend’s sleeping form.

"What time is it?" Carlos murmured, having felt the bed shake when TK jumped up, but hearing him briefly in the bathroom he hadn’t said anything until he’d returned to bed.

"We’re on vacation. It doesn’t matter today," TK whispered in his ear, kissing his cheek gently.

"Five more minutes. This is our only free day and I want to spend as much time with you as I can. Even if it means watching you get sunburnt to a crisp," Carlos teased.

"Just because I’m pigmentally challenged doesn’t mean I burn easy. I can tan," TK retorted, "even if I have to burn first to get a tan."

"What are we thinking should be our adventure today?" Carlos asked with a bit of wonderment in his voice. "We could do Griffith Observatory, the walk of fame, the Hollywood sign. It’s your day to choose from."

"You’re the one who hasn’t been here before, you get to pick," TK admitted, "I’ve been to all of them, but a hike to the Hollywood sign or in Griffith Park sounds fun."

~*~

"No, we are not going to a juice bar, do you not remember what happened last time? Cars came alive, you ripped out your stitches and I was shocked by a card reader, just to name a few. Juice bars are a hard no for me!" Carlos exclaimed after TK suggested one for breakfast. "We can pick up some bagels or something and have a picnic and eat something afterward; just please no _juice bars!_ " He practically begged.

"Well, you don’t have to yell at me," TK glanced at him as he drove through the streets of the city, trying to find somewhere to stop. He could get coffee anywhere, but he wasn’t much for corporate coffee chains, so he wanted something different and juice bars usually had it. "Fine. No juice bars, but you’re gonna have to figure out where to go then. I’m driving and I can’t do research and drive. Would you like to drive?"

"No, I don’t know the area," Carlos replied, "and I’m not yelling at you. Maybe it’s a little fresh in my mind, but we didn’t have the greatest experience last time we were at one and I’d rather not let history repeat itself."

"Alright, I’ll stop at Dinosaur Coffee, I need coffee and not you yelling at me. And no I won’t get you a donut. Once we get our coffee and food, we can find parking and go on the hike," TK told pointedly. This day was not starting to go the way he had wanted it to.

Carlos could easily tell that TK was not a morning person and though he didn’t enjoy mornings either, caffeine was usually his first stop, so he hoped once they’d both gotten coffee in their system, their day could get better, "deal."

~*~

The cafe they found was already bustling with customers when the two men found street parking and headed inside to place their orders. They’d hardly said anything since their little spat in the car, but as they stood in line, Carlos reached to TK and laced his fingers with his, hoping he’d see it as a peace offering from their earlier disagreement. As they held each other's hand, Carlos could feel the tension drain from the other man. "I’m sorry," he whispered, "oddly enough they just bring up too many memories."

"I get that, but after all that craziness was over, what did we have? We found us," TK replied quietly. He knew he had a messed up past. He knew he had grown from that past he had created, but he still didn’t know exactly what he did right to end up with a man like Carlos in his life. "Okay enough with all this mushy talk, we need to order coffee and go on that hike!"

Carlos laughed lightly, but could already feel the mood lighten between them, so when they reached the counter, they easily gave their orders and Carlos paid for them, promising TK he could pay at some point, too.

~*~

Once they had their coffees and breakfast in hand, they returned to their car and nursed their drinks and food on their way to the trailhead parking lot.

"Doesn’t seem too busy today," Carlos noted, surprised that for a nice spring day that the parking lot was sparsely filled.

"Yeah, true, but school is back in session from Spring Break and it is a weekday. I imagine on the weekends this place gets packed," TK explained, grabbing the backpack from the trunk of their rental. However before he could slide it onto his uninjured shoulder, Carlos snatched it from his grip.

"You really think I’m gonna let you carry a backpack while you are still nursing a twice injured shoulder? You are sorely mistaken," Carlos teased.

"Does this lean towards more of a southern gentleman thing or is more the concerned boyfriend? Because I’m starting to wonder if there’s a difference," TK smirked, reluctantly letting him take the bag from him as he closed the trunk.

Carlos winked at him as he began walking towards the trailhead, "I think you should figure that one out on your own, Tyler," he called after him.

TK raised a curious eyebrow, but quickly pocketed the car keys and darted to catch up to him, "so you’re gonna play hard to get now?"

"I think you have us covered in that department. How long did we know each other before we made it official?" Carlos draped his arm around TK’s shoulders and leaned in to press a kiss against his cheek, "but I’m not complaining. I get the best part and I’d have waited even longer for you."

~*~

Neither of the men had planned for a big hike, but the more they wandered through the well-worn paths, randomly taking a left or right at a fork to check out various sights along the way, or to take in the view of the large metropolis surrounding Griffith Park. 

By dinnertime, the two made it back to their car, surprisingly without getting lost, and discussing the meal, but could not seem to come to a consensus. The one thing they did agree on was no Tex-Mex; they could get that anytime in Texas.

While Carlos did some research, TK began the drive back to their hotel. They both needed a shower, having spent the whole afternoon hiking and they hoped by the time they got back they could figure something out.

"We could just order in," TK offered when they finally made it back into their hotel room, knowing if he felt exhausted, Carlos wasn’t far from it as well. Also, the introvert in him did not want to be around people he didn’t know. He got that enough in his line of work.

"We could, but we didn’t get that picnic we were talking about this morning, so what if we got something to go and went to the beach," Carlos countered, "maybe catch the sunset?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," TK smiled as he agreed, "the next question is, one shower or two?"

~*~

After a great evening together, the young couple was reminded the next morning at a very early hour, one of the reasons why they were there in the city. Carlos had to get up early to go to the conference and while he hadn’t been thrilled with the idea of driving in an unfamiliar city, TK insisted he use their rental car. TK had grown up visiting Santa Monica and had a lot more familiarity with the area, so it made more sense for Carlos to take the car with built-in GPS to get around.

TK lounged in their bed while Carlos got ready, his eyes following his boyfriend as he moved around the small hotel room, accepting the view and time he had with him before he had to leave. When Carlos did reluctantly give his boyfriend one final kiss before darting out the door with the keys to their rental car, TK sunk back into the pillows to get some more sleep before starting his day.

When TK did end up getting up, he skipped breakfast and went right for coffee as he started his free time wandering around Santa Monica, checking out places he’d visited with family, but it had changed a lot since he’d been there last. He knew he should call family, but he just wanted to explore the place where he had spent much of his vacations as a child. It also had an unfortunate facelift with the recent tsunami that plagued the coast and he was curious how the rebuild was going. He couldn’t help but think about what it might have been like to respond to such a disaster. Sure the tornados in Austin were massive and took a toll on the city, but those can be forecasted and given a warning about; tsunamis are not as easy to predict or warn about.

When his feet began to tell him he’d wandered a good amount of time, he found himself close to the beach and his eyes landed on the one place Carlos had said ‘no’ to the day before; a juice bar. His stomach quickly reminded him he couldn’t live on only coffee, so he moved into the small shop, ordered a drink and something to eat and then headed to find a spot on the beach to be alone in a sea of people to just relax.

With just a few bites into his sandwich and one true taste of his drink, the sound of an explosion rattled his ears as the ground below him began to shudder. At first he thought it was an earthquake; it was California after all, but he quickly realized it wasn’t strong enough for a quake. Immediately, hearing yelling and commotion nearby, his first responder instinct sped into overdrive, causing him to jump and run towards the noise.

The distinct smell of smoke touched his nostrils as he reached the sidewalk and could see smoke forming above what looked to be the shell of a two-story building construction site, surrounded by chain link fencing, "someone call 911!" He yelled as he dashed across the street to get a better look. "Crap," he groaned, as he saw several people running out of the fenced-off area, "hey! What happened? Is everyone alright?" He asked quickly as he ran towards them.

"I don’t know man, one minute they were digging and the next minute it exploded!" One guy yelled, knowing his ears were still ringing from being closer to the blast.

TK sighed inwardly when he realized the construction crew probably hit an unexpected gas line; the tsunami probably had done a number on the underground piping systems.

Seeing several other guys run out, coughing from the smoke, TK noticed one wearing a different color helmet and had a feeling that was the boss, so he ran towards him, "Hey, is anyone else in there?" He asked quickly, his left shoulder twinging at the mere thought of having to run into a building to rescue someone when he wasn’t even 100% after his last injury.

"I don’t know who all came out," the guy called, "but I think the CAT flipped over and might be trapping someone."

"Fuck," he muttered to himself. He knew time was of the essence for anyone still inside or trapped under the machinery; he could already feel the heat coming from whatever fire was building inside, "okay, get everyone across the street and away from the building, so emergency personnel can get right to work." He knew he needed to take charge until help could arrive, "and if you’re the foreman or know who is, find out who all was here and if there’s anyone else unaccounted for, so firefighters know if they’re looking for anyone."

As if his thoughts were being read, the telltale wail of sirens started blaring louder and louder as they got closer, until a fire engine, ladder truck, and an ambulance pulled to a stop in front of the building TK was standing next to.

Firefighters and medics in the all-to-familiar back and yellow turnouts began jumping out of the various vehicles and an older man with sandy blond hair walked towards TK and the man he’d been talking to, "I’m Captain Nash with LAFD. Are you guys in charge here?" He asked, looking between the two.

Before the other man could get a word in edgewise, TK started in on what he knew. "I think they hit a gas line while digging and caused an explosion. I felt it out on the beach. Sounds like it flipped the CAT inside. There’s definitely fire inside, possibly spreading to the second floor. Don’t know if there’s anyone left inside, but the ones who have gotten out are across the street," pausing only to take a breath, "if anyone is left inside, don’t know where they are or what their condition is, but there could be someone trapped by a CAT."

Bobby was momentarily stunned at all the information the young man in front of him threw out, but he quickly shook off his surprise to get back to work, "and you are?"

"TK Strand, I’m a firefighter with the Austin Fire Department, here on vacation, sir," TK responded.

The older man nodded and smiled lightly at him, "thank you for the information, TK. I appreciate the help. You should probably get across the street before this gets any more out of hand. I really don’t want to explain to your Captain in Austin why you got hurt on my watch," he added, turning his gaze to several people standing near him, before rattling off orders to his team.

Nodding at the man, TK took the hint and turned to walk away, a light chuckle escaping his lips at that potential conversation, "dad would definitely ground me if I got hurt here because I was trying to help… That is if Carlos doesn’t do it first," he smirked as his feet landed on the sidewalk across the street. Turning to take in the first responders gearing up to go inside, he couldn’t help catching the sight of a name he recognized printed on the back of one of their jackets, "no way!" He gasped, doing a double-take at the familiar last name of his childhood friend, Evan Buckley.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed it! Let us know what you think! We hope to be working on the next chapter here soon, so be on the lookout!


	2. A Blast From The Past, Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1 gets jealous, 2 catch up, 3 get introduced, 4 go to dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Thanks for all the support on the last chapter! We're so glad you enjoy this and hope you continue to! Just a heads up, this chapter is a little deeper due to the characters explaining some of what's happened to them (all things we know from both shows) up until the above-listed episodes!
> 
> ~*~

The rumbling of the engine and the siren's blaring outside made Buck thankful they had heavy duty headsets to wear while in the firetruck, "what's the call, Cap?" He called out to Bobby, his Captain, friend and father figure, sitting in the front passenger seat.

"The 136 is on another call and we're the closest unit to the area. There was an explosion at a construction site and sounds like fire is involved. You gonna be okay to be back down by the pier?"

"The Santa Monica pier?" Buck gasped, inwardly saying 'no', but he knew he couldn't bring that up now; "uh, guess I'm gonna have to be."

~*~

As the truck rolled up to the scene, it seemed as if it was several different incidents in one. "Crap, what the hell happened here?" Hen exclaimed.

"You guys are like little kids, were you not listening to what I said? It was an _explosion_ ," Bobby stressed the word, before throwing his headset off.

"Hey, that wasn't necessarily directed at me," Buck noted with a smirk.

Eddie rolled his eyes and nudged his best friend playfully, as the team began to climb out of the trucks.

Once the entire team was out of the truck, Buck noticed Bobby talking to a young guy. His captain seemed to be caught speechless for a few seconds as he seemed to be processing something the kid was saying. As the guy walked off to the other side of the street, and Bobby began passing out orders to others, Buck and Eddie, ready with their gear walked towards him, "who's the kid?" Buck wondered curiously.

"The _kid_ is your Austin, Texas counterpart, who was here when it happened," Bobby responded.

"Are you jealous?" Eddie teased, before looking at Bobby, "where do you want us, Cap?"

Bobby motioned inside, "full gear, get inside and get better eyes on what's going on. Texas said it might have been an explosion from an unexpected gas line rupture."

"Why did you automatically ask if I was jealous?" Buck questioned, eyeing Eddie as they both began to get their air tanks ready.

"Because you were jealous that someone else was impressing Cap," Eddie chuckled.

"It's a good thing we're best friends," Buck muttered, putting his oxygen mask on and tightening it.

Eddie bumped his shoulder and once his own mask was on, he turned to look at Buck, "you know I'm just giving you a hard time and I've always got your back. Ready?" He asked into the microphone.

Buck nodded, "yeah, let's do this."

~*~

It seemed to take forever to mop up the scene. Buck and Eddie found about six people in the building, each one needing various degrees of attention from Hen and Chim. Traffic had been stopped and they noticed that the crowd had grown across the street from people that had been victims, to a large crowd of nosey onlookers. It was the second group that they hated because they were the ones that always clogged up the scene and caused the most trouble.

The one thing that did make their job easier, was the quick thinking of "Texas" as Bobby had gone to calling him, which did in fact save numerous lives. He'd been onsite before they were and was able to gather more information from those coming out, so once the team arrived and he passed on the information, they could get right to work without going into it blind.

"I need a shower and food," Buck groaned, setting his oxygen tank down on the ground as he plopped down next to Eddie on the bumper of the truck.

"Good idea," Eddie agreed, leaning his head back.

"Shift's almost over," Buck noted, pulling his gloves off to look at his watch, "wanna grab dinner before you pick up Christoper?"

"Why, Evan Buckley, are you asking me out on a date or just propositioning me?" Eddie joked.

"Man Diaz, you are --- What the fuck?" Buck gasped as his eyes focused on "Texas", who Bobby was talking to again.

Eddie quickly realized that Buck had gotten distracted by something and turned to follow his line-of-sight, "jealous again? You know, Texas does have firefighters who travel."

"I...I..." Buck began, but couldn't find the words to actually verbalize exactly what he was thinking.

"Damn, Buck speechless, never thought I'd see the day," Hen joked as she joined the boys on the bumper of the truck.

It was Buck's turn to roll his eyes as he got up and moved towards Bobby and the young firefighter, as the crowd had begun to thin out, "TK?"

"You two know each other?" Bobby asked, now remembering that the firefighter in front of him had introduced himself as TK Strand.

"Texas?" Buck knew he sounded shocked and hoped his expression conveyed the same thing, "really?"

"It's a long, long story and also a very recent move," TK responded, grinning at him, "hey Evan. I thought that was you, but I couldn't be sure. It's why I hung around."

Buck's smile grew more and he moved forward, throwing his arms around his longtime friend and hugged him tightly, "holy shit it's good to see you! We really need to catch up!"

Though the stitches had been long gone from TK's shoulder, the tight grip Buck had on him made him wince and groan a little, "uh, you, too and yeah, we do."

Noticing the stiffness, Buck pulled back, "sorry, was that too tight? Is your shoulder still bothering you from lacrosse?"

"No, I wish it was that simple," TK admitted, taking a deep breath and reaching with his right hand to gently massage his left shoulder where the bullet wound was.

"Obviously that's another story for later," Buck noted, motioning to where his best friend was sitting, "wanna come to dinner with me and Eddie? We were just talking about grabbing some food after our shift is over in a little bit."

"Sure, that'd be great," TK smiled, glancing over towards where Buck had pointed, "I just have to let Carlos know where I'm gonna be."

"Carlos?" Buck raised a curious eyebrow at him.

"That's another story," TK laughed lightly.

Having watched the excited interaction between the two young men, one of which he considered a son, Bobby finally jumped in, "okay, normally I wouldn't let this happen, but you obviously know your way around a firetruck and you two seem to know each other, so TK, if you'd like, you're welcome to ride with us back to the station."

As Buck noticed the hesitation in his friend's eyes, Buck put his arm around his shoulder, "come on! It's not every day I get to introduce my family to an old friend."

TK nodded, "alright, I'll come," he caved, smiling at his friend again, "let's go."

~*~

Hen moved to stand next to Eddie, watching his expression curiously as Buck began to interact with the man Bobby had been talking to. Eddie easily was confused and definitely interested in what was going on, but when Buck hugged the guy, she thought she noticed something else going on in his head, "you know, if you keep those feelings to yourself and don't share them with the one who needs to hear them, you're always going to feel that way," she chimed in.

"Huh? What feeling? I'm not feeling anything," Eddie responded quickly, looking at her, "what are you talking about?"

"I don't know who you're trying to fool, but you can't fool me. You two have been dancing around each other for two years now," Hen eyed him for a moment, before turning back to look at Buck, who now had his arm around the other man, walking over to the truck with him, "because he has those eyes for you, too."

"I... You think?" Eddie asked softly, unsure if he even was ready to go down that particular road yet.

"No, I don't," Hen shook her head, "I _know_ ," she stressed.

"Oh my God, you guys, Eddie, Hen, you gotta meet TK, he's one of my best friends from high school," Buck announced as the two finally reached them, not catching the tension in the air.

Hen casually slaps Eddie in the shoulder as she moves forward and holds out her hand to TK, "it's so nice to meet you. I'm Hen. I'm the one who has to keep the boys in line."

"It's nice to meet you," TK chuckled, "and I'm sure you do. Marjan seems to do that for us, too," he added, glancing at Eddie still sitting on the bumper, "hey, man, nice to meet you."

Trying to hide the knot in his stomach, Eddie took a deep breath and plastered a smile on his lips, "it's nice to meet you, too. I'm Eddie."

"Eddie's also one of my best friends," Buck explained as the two guys shook hands, "and Bobby's like my dad."

~*~

The entire way back to the station was filled with the conversation going a thousand miles a minute between the two old friends. However, TK could feel the tension rolling off of the person next to him, since he was sitting between Eddie and Buck. He even tried to ask Eddie some ice-breaker questions, but the older man seemed to give him short one-word answers. After a few barely answered questions, TK gave up, rethinking the dinner invitation, but knew that this chance to catch up with Evan was not going to be present again for a while, so he was going to let anything or anyone interrupt time with his friend.

Once they got back to the station, and the trucks were parked back in their homes, TK and the team climbed out and he glanced at his phone to see what time it was, quickly remembering the lunch he'd had was now sitting on the beach, half eaten. With a laugh, TK glanced at Buck, "so, when's your shift over?"

"In like an hour. The last hour can usually be _pretty busy_ , if you know what I mean," Buck winked, hoping he'd figure out he didn't want to jinx them, "I'm gonna go shower, but I'll be back, help yourself to any food with my name on it and get comfortable. There's couches and chairs in the loft," Buck added motioning upstairs.

"Thanks, take your time. I've got all night," TK shrugged, watching Buck follow the rest of the team towards their showers, while he moved towards the front of the station. Quickly sending his location to his boyfriend, he asked him to meet him there at the same time Buck would be off work, but he didn't share the name of the location. He couldn't wait to see how his boyfriend would react.

~*~

Buck was the last one to make it into the bathroom, easily moving to his locker to grab a few things before heading for the showers. He couldn't help the excitement he felt for having TK there to catch up with, because they apparently had a lot to talk about, but he also noticed a big change in his best friend's mood and he couldn't quite figure out why.

Being used to taking quick showers, he was out within ten minutes and half dressed, before walking towards his locker again to throw on a spare LAFD t-shirt, where he found Eddie also dressing, while sitting on the bench nearby, "are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, what makes you think I'm not okay?" Eddie responded.

"Because ever since we got in the truck you've been giving one word answers and you're tense. That's not like you, unless you're pissed and if you are, you can talk to me," Buck replied, "did something happen?"

"No, but don't you have your other best friend to talk to?" Eddie asked, the words coming out of his mouth a bit harsher that he meant them.

"What? Are you jealous? Seriously?" Buck gasped, sitting down to put his boots back on, "I'm allowed to have two best friends, you know?" He paused for a moment to gather his thoughts and then looked at him, trying not to get snappy back, "it's been over five years since we last saw each other, because I had to leave NYC, and we've only chatted here and there online. Honestly, if it wasn't for him and his dad, who's a fire captain like Bobby, I don't think I would have ever found firefighting as a career. And while he was my best friend in late-high school and my early 20s, because of this career, you're my best friend now and I would love for you to get to know him. Without all that in my past, I would never have found the 118 and this family; this is the one I chose."

"I'm sorry for being a dick," Eddie sighed, realizing how rude he'd been acting, "you're right; you can have more than one best friend and I do want to get to know people in your life; I guess it just caught me off guard. Wasn't expecting it, but it's cool he's here. I'm assuming he's joining us for dinner?"

"Of course! And sounds like he's got _someone_ else who'll be joining us, too," Buck added, nudging Eddie in the shoulder, "shift's almost over. Then it's time for food and adult conversations. Don't get me wrong. I love Christopher, but sometimes us guys just gotta talk about something besides Legos."

Eddie chuckled and finished lacing his boots, "fair enough. I'll see you upstairs. We do still have a shift to finish and if it's as busy as it has been, we won't be out of here on time," he laughed, standing up and patting Buck's shoulder, his hand unconsciously lingering a moment longer before grabbing his phone and his watch to put on.

Buck noticed the extended touch, the warmth coming from Eddie's hand on his shoulder and couldn't help questions swirling in his mind, " _what's going on here?_ "

~*~

Jogging up the stairs to the loft, Eddie saw TK sitting at the table with Hen, Chimney and Bobby, all laughing at something on TK's phone. Taking a deep breath, he moved towards the small group and raised a curious eyebrow, "what's so funny?"

"Man, Eddie, you should see this picture of Buck from high school!" Chimney exclaimed.

Leaning over the table, Eddie focused his gaze on the small phone screen and couldn't help his own laugh as he took in the picture. Buck 0.5 was standing with a lacrosse stick over his shoulder, the familiar birthmark above his eye and his hair much longer than anyone there had ever seen it, curled and messy with a gray grunge t-shirt covering him. The only difference was that this kid was scrawny, compared to current version Buck 2.0. "Wow, Buck has definitely grown up. But he's rockin' that hair. I need to show this to Christopher; he'll get a kick out of it!"

Buck had overheard laughter coming from the loft and opted to join. He had a keen feeling that TK was showing off some of the blackmail he had on Buck. "Damn, TK what picture are you showing them?"

"Your grungy lacrosse picture," TK smirked, holding up his phone.

"Well, at least I look good in that one and it wasn't something really embarrassing," Buck replied, resting his arm on Eddie's shoulder, as if it was a normal thing.

"Wait, there's more embarrassing ones?" Hen asked hopeful, "we need those!"

"I definitely should find some of those and pay you guys back for the cardboard cutout you guys got of me," Bobby admitted, "Athena is terrified of it."

"Oh I have plenty to share if you need them," TK grinned, silently noticing the flirtatious body language that both Eddie and Buck were giving off, that the others at the table seemed to either not notice, notice and not care or just plain ignored it because it's normal for them, " _yep, definitely need to talk to him about this,_ " TK thought, " _and Eddie's attitude earlier makes a whole lot more sense now._ "

~*~

Carlos expected a text message in the afternoon from his boyfriend, letting him know where they could meet for dinner, so it wasn't a surprise when the information came. What shocked him, though, was that as he followed the car's in-dash navigation to the address he'd been given, he seemed to be going out of the major commercial areas and into a more residential area, before finally pulling up to a large fire station.

Parking along the street, Carlos glanced at the building's numbers and then at the address TK had sent, along with what was in the GPS and they all matched, " _oh shit! What happened this time?_ " He groaned inwardly as he climbed out of the car.

As if he was back in Austin, Carlos walked up the driveway of the firehouse. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a familiar face from one of his classes that morning, "Sergeant Grant?" He asked, surprised to see her there.

"Officer," she paused, eyeing him a moment, "Reyes, from Austin," she smiled waving at him, "well, if I would have known you were coming here, I would have given you a ride," she laughed, "what brings you over to the 118?"

"Your guess is as good as mine. My boyfriend sent me this address to meet him at," Carlos explained, walking into the engine bay with her. "He didn't tell me where I was coming."

"Boyfriend?" She raised a curious eyebrow at him, "anyone I know?"

"I highly doubt that, unless you know TK Strand from NYC or Austin," Carlos told her with a shrug.

"No, sorry, it doesn't ring a bell, but let's go ask my husband. He's the captain here and he knows everything that's going on, even if his team doesn't know what's going on in their own lives. Long story and totally not appropriate for acquaintances to talk about," she laughed, guiding him to the set of stairs nearby to head up to the loft.

Hearing the familiar sound of laughter, Athena led the young officer upstairs and when they took the last step, Athena noticed the team was all gathered around the dining table.

"Oh no, did someone spike the brownies again?" Athena groaned.

"Hey, sweetheart, I thought you were going to be at the conference all afternoon," Bobby admitted, standing up to greet her.

She glanced at her watch, "it's almost six," she smirked, slipping her arm around his waist.

The moment they'd made it upstairs, Carlos scanned the various people he could see, looking for his boyfriend and as his fellow officer greeted who must be her husband, his eyes landed on TK, "TK!" He gasped, rushing towards him.

"Oh, hey, babe, you made it," TK jumped up.

"Of course I made it," Carlos replied, throwing his arms around him, being careful not to mess with his bad shoulder, "are you okay? What happened?" He wondered, pulling back to look him over, "does your shoulder hurt? Are you feeling okay?" Carlos unconsciously lifted to press his hand to TK's forehead.

"Whoa, whoa, how much coffee did you have with the donuts today?" TK laughed, batting his boyfriend's hand away.

"Ha ha ha, very funny," Carlos rolled his eyes and looked at him, "I'm being serious. I was fine until I got here and realized you were having me meet you at a fire station... In a town you don't even live in, surrounded by firefighters and paramedics."

"I'm networking, and has anyone ever told you that the vein in your forehead bulges when you get like this. It's kinda cute," TK grinned, reaching up to brush his hand over the mentioned location.

"I'm serious, too! Did y'all have brownies or any food that could have been dosed with anything?" Athena let her voice carry over the group as the rest of the team stood staring at the two young men.

"What do you mean? Dosed? Again?" Carlos' eyes widened and looked around.

TK turned to look at the group and then back at Carlos, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't know what she's talking about. My lunch was left out on the beach, and I barely ate any of it and by the way, you were right to say never go back to a juice bar."

"What did you do?" Carlos groaned.

"Whoa, whoa hold up, what's going on here?" Buck commented, finally moving from his spot on the floor to stand closer to his friend and the newest arrival, "TK who is this? You okay?" He reached out to rest his hand on TK's left shoulder.

Before Buck's hand touched TK, Carlos grabbed the stranger's wrist and twisted his whole body around, pinning his arm behind his back, "I should be asking the same thing about you."

"Hey, let him go!" Eddie snapped, dashing forward.

Hen and Athena stepped back, as Bobby moved forward to stop Eddie from making a fool of himself, "whoa, hold on. Take a breather."

"Yeah, let go of him," TK replied giving his boyfriend a stern, 'listen to me' look.

"Well, I think I just figured everything out," Hen smirked, looking at Athena as the two women laughed, high fiving.

"Why is it always Buckley in the middle of drama?" Chim shook his head, moving towards the two women, "my money's on the new guys."

"Yeah, Buck 1.0 had many adventures, hard telling how long that was going on before we met him," Hen noted, her voice carrying to the men in the middle of the loft.

"Alright, alright, enough!" Bobby announced, deciding play time was over and some introductions needed to be made before anyone got hurt.

From the intense stare he'd gotten from TK, and the stern voice from the man before him, Carlos reluctantly let go of Buck.

Buck shrugged his shoulder a little to shake out the hold he'd been in and then turned to Chim, Hen and Athena, "I'm right here and I never dated TK."

"He's not my type," TK added, patting Carlos' chest gently, "apparently I have a thing for cops over firefighters, sorry Evan."

"Why are there never firefighters in relationships with each other? Seriously, we spend so much time together. I'm surprised Buck and Eddie aren't living together with the amount of time they spend with each other," Chim shook his head and sighed.

"You let him call you Evan? I thought I was the only one allowed to call you that," Eddie looked at Buck.

"We've known each other for ten years and I used to call his dad, dad, too," Buck replied with a shrug.

"Did you notice they didn't say anything about what I just said?" Chim whispered to Athena and Hen.

"Oh yeah, we all know, except them, maybe this will kick them in the pants," Hen replied, getting a nod of agreement from Athena.

"Officer Reyes, I'm assuming this young man here is your boyfriend?" The only other cop in the room asked.

"Uh, yes, ma'am. I apologize for my actions, but apparently I missed the memo about something and was caught off guard," Carlos replied looking at TK for some kind of answer.

"Carlos, this is my best friend Evan 'Buck' Buckley. We knew each other in high school and it's been years since we last saw each other in person. I saw him today when they responded to a call near where I was," TK explained, deciding to leave out some of the details for later. "Evan, this is my boyfriend, Officer Carlos Reyes, of Austin PD."

Buck eyed the man who'd almost dislocated his shoulder, wanting to be mad, but to see him protecting TK was enough to know he was a good guy, so he caved when Carlos extended a hand to him, "nice to meet you, Carlos."

"You, too," Carlos replied, swallowing nervously, "sorry about that I..."

"It's okay. I've had worse happen," Buck shrugged.

"Okay, now that introductions are made, it's dinner time," TK announced, clapping his hands together, "Eddie, Buck, Carlos, let's go!"

~*~

Even though the four men could have easily fit into one car, Eddie would have to leave to go get his son later, so Buck rode over to the chosen restaurant with Eddie, while Carlos and TK followed them.

For a Thursday evening, the restaurant wasn't terribly busy, so the guys were able to get a table in the bar pretty quickly. Once they were seated, TK and Carlos sharing the booth, while Eddie and Buck sat on chairs across from them, they ordered drinks and appetizers while they looked over their menus.

Carlos glanced at his boyfriend and then across the table from him to Buck, "I'm really sorry about grabbing you earlier, man."

"It's okay. I get it. You were worried about your boyfriend and didn't know who I was," Buck assured him, "but hopefully now you know I'm not a threat."

"Yes, I do, though, how much history do you guys have?" Carlos wondered, "I've not heard your name mentioned before."

"Well, we've known each other since high school, when we used to play against each other in soccer and lacrosse. But it was a soccer tournament, in my junior year I think that we started our friendship," Buck began trying to remember the story correctly. "This pest right here was probably the best opponent I had and have ever faced on the field. He's so damn fast!"

"Hey, don't discount yourself, Evan. While he didn't have the build that he does now, his footwork with the ball lost so many players. They had no idea how to guard him," TK boasted about his friend.

~*~

The two old friends continued on telling Carlos and Eddie more of their past. They explained that since there was a few years difference in age, while TK was finishing up high school and knew exactly what he wanted to do with his life; become a firefighter like his dad, Buck moved to NYC to go to college and try to figure out his own life. This is where the two became close and TK's dad had taken Buck under his wing as a pseudo-dad or uncle to Buck.

TK explained a little more of his past drug problems, including how Buck and Owen had been solid rocks for him through it all and that Buck had been there when he finally graduated from high school and the fire academy.

Their friendship remained strong, but after a few years into college, Buck realized it wasn't for him, so he dropped out and considered a few other options, one was becoming a firefighter and the other was a Navy SEAL. Owen and TK, now a firefighter himself, both encouraged Buck to consider more options before he made a big life changing decision, but were secretly hoping he'd pick firefighting over anything else; he had the drive for it and knew with some training and discipline he could be a very talented firefighter.

Wanting to clear his head and figure some things out, Buck explained that he went to South America where he spent a summer bartending and thinking about life, not completely walking away from TK or Owen, but knew he couldn't let others make decisions about his life. The time away had been just what he needed and when he returned to the summer, he went out and was accepted for the SEAL program, but after passing the majority of the physical aspect, Buck couldn't detach his emotions from what he was doing and soon quit training and signed up for the LAFD.

"We kept in touch, it's not like we didn't continue to be friends, but I knew he needed some space and I just reminded him that dad and I were there if he ever needed us," TK explained.

"I know you guys were. I feel bad I haven't been the greatest friend the past few years since I got back," Buck sighed.

"I've had a lot going on, too, and the," TK took a deep breath, "last year has been a lot."

"Sounds like you, Buck," Eddie laughed between bites of his meal and seeing the confused glances from TK and Carlos, Eddie nudged his friend in the shoulder with his own, "you should probably explain."

"Yeah, what has gone on with you since you joined the LAFD?" TK wondered.

"Well, let's see, about six months into being with the 118, I took a girl out on a date. I got so nervous that I choked on a piece of bread which swelled up from water and she had to do an emergency tracheotomy in the restaurant," Buck laughed.

Eddie coughed as he tried to swallow, "oh my God, that's not what I was thinking about, but that's crazy."

"I'm glad my plight is entertaining you," Buck eyed him. "Anyway, Eddie joined the team a little over a year ago and we've had some ups and downs. The girl I was dating, she left town, but technically we didn't break up, but after months, it was obvious she wasn't coming back, so I moved out of her place. My sister finally ran away from her abusive ex-husband and made it out to LA. That was definitely not something I want to relive, but she's happy now. We're both in good places. The past year has been rough, though."

"Man this just got deep," Carlos muttered, thanking the waitress as she came over to refill their water glasses.

"Oh it gets worse. Maybe you guys heard about it; I'm sure it was all over the news. A fire truck exploded while I was in it and I got pinned under it," Buck sighed, noticing Eddie tensing at his side, "five months of surgeries, therapy, a pulmonary embolism, an attempted lawsuit and a whole lot of feeling lost happened before I could come back to full duty."

"Don't forget the tsunami," Eddie added, taking a swig of the beer, "I told him to take my son out for a day and they ended up on the pier when it hit. I didn't even know they'd gone out there, until that night, when I saw Buck at the field hospital, exhausted and all cut up. That's when I learned they'd been at the pier and had initially been together, but then they were separated. Thankfully, while he was trying to break the news to me, or explain, Christopher showed up with another group of survivors without a scratch on him. This guy right here had taken care of him and spent the whole day after they had been separated looking for Chris; no regard for his own well being. All he was focused on was finding Chris."

TK caught the look that Eddie gave Buck, one of pure adoration, but decided it wasn't the time to bring it up, so he turned to look at Buck, "damn, bro. You've gone through a lot of shit, but I'm glad you're still with us and," he glanced at Eddie, "your son, too."

"Thanks," Eddie smiled lightly, taking a deep breath, "don't know what I would have done if I'd have lost either of them."

"I'm glad Evan's got you in his life. He deserves to have people that care about him," TK looked at Buck, "your parents may not have your back, but we do," TK motioned between him and Eddie, "and I know my dad feels the same way."

"Even after all this time apart?" Buck asked softly.

"Yes, even after all this time," TK confirmed, "you're the brother I never had, physically. You're the other son he always wanted."

"Thanks, that means a lot," Buck took a deep breath, "alright, enough about me. What's been going on with you? How in the hell did you end up in Texas and weren't you dating some dude named Alex?"

"Oh, you mean the one who I thought was my soulmate?" TK sunk back against the cushions of his seat and looked at Carlos, knowing some of what he was going to say was slightly new to him and hoped he didn't freak out, "so, you know how I'd been clean for a while?"

"Yeah," Buck nodded, then shook his head, already not liking where this was going, "no; you didn't."

"My relationship with Alex was not healthy at all, as I realized afterward. I'd noticed he was getting distant and I thought some big grand gesture would make him want to stay, so I tried to propose to him," TK started, "He was late getting to the restaurant, then proceeded to tell me he was in love with someone else and was leaving me for his spin instructor. I thought I had failed. On my way home, I pawned the ring for the drugs and overdosed in my apartment. I remember taking them, then waking up with my dad hovering over me. Little did I know, he'd had quite the day as well."

Buck 2.0 wore his heart on his sleeve and upon hearing what his best friend was saying, he couldn't help the tears filling his eyes. He was not only emotional for his friend's struggles, but also for not being there for him when he obviously needed him most, "TK, I'm so sorry. I should have been there."

"It's not like you could have stopped me. It happened in less than twelve hours," TK shrugged, "and you know me. I'm stubborn."

"Oh yeah, that you are," Buck agreed, "but still, I'm sorry. So, are you okay? What about dad?"

"I'm getting there," TK told him, "that night, dad and I were talking and he told me we're leaving. I wasn't sure what that meant, but I quickly found out that he'd been offered a position rebuilding a fire station in Austin who'd lost all but one of their guys in a tragic accident; you know, like he did in New York."

"Oh, so he took you to Austin with him to keep an eye on you," Buck smirked, knowing his pseudo-dad all too well.

"Yeah, and after we got to Texas, we started rebuilding the station, and us. We remodeled the old station, paid respects to the old team and built a great team. Even after the first call, we knew we'd be a family and I met Carlos that night. We've had our own ups and downs and I've obviously been dealing with my break up, but I'm getting there, but you know the Strand Family. Just when things go well, something else happens," TK took a deep breath before continuing, "dad failed to mention one thing to me. Before we left New York, he'd been diagnosed with Stage 1 lung cancer," he bit his lip, "a complication of being at Ground Zero."

"Dad has c..." Buck choked out a gasp, but couldn't form a full sentence. He quickly felt Eddie grab his hand as if to comfort him. "What's the...is he..."

TK could see the pain in his brother's eyes, one he knew very well because he, too, felt it, but he hoped what he's about to add will at least give him hope, "dad's been working and getting chemo treatments since being in Texas. It's definitely not ideal, but the good news is that he's responding well to them and doctors are optimistic he'll kick this in the ass."

Eddie shifted his hand to Buck's shoulder, squeezing it gently as he felt his friend's tension, and wanted to offer a little encouragement to Buck and TK, "stage 1 is super early. He's lucky it was caught that soon. He's got a huge fighting chance and sounds like he has a great support system to take care of him," he offered, hoping to lighten the mood.

Carlos draped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and smiled at him, "see, your dad's gonna be okay. Let's have hope. I sure could have used some when I saw you laying in that hospital bed in a coma."

"Whoa, hold up, coma?" Buck gasped, leaning over to look at TK, "what the fuck happened?"

"It was supposed to be a simple call. A possible heart attack behind a locked door. Dad had me get the battering ram to make entry and as I got the door open, I froze when I heard the gunshot, then I realized my shoulder hurt and before I knew it I was slumping on the floor looking up at my dad," TK admitted, "that's all I remember. Dad's told me what happened, but I don't remember much. Carlos can explain more."

Carlos didn't really want to relive that night, but he also knew Buck should know everything, so he cleared his throat and took a drink of water before he explained what he could, all while his hand gently rested on his boyfriend's neck, brushing gentle touches along his soft skin, unsure if he was trying to keep TK or himself calm, "EMS had been called after an officer and I detained a confused man with dementia at his old house. He'd scared the current residents and they locked themselves in their room with their seven-year-old grandson. The grandfather had a gun and was trying to protect them, but through the stress of the event, he had a heart attack and when TK went to break the door down, the kid had picked up his grandfather's gun and shot the first person in the door, which turned out to be TK. The bullet hit the main artery in his left shoulder, but he was lucky it didn't hit his heart," Carlos bit his lip, remembering all the information he and Owen had learned at the hospital that week, "his organs began to shut down from the trauma, so he slipped into a coma, but thankfully that resolved, so physically all he's head to really deal with since is the shoulder injury."

"Mentally and emotionally, I'm still working on," TK laughed lightly, tugging the collar of his shirt away from his neck enough to show the redish pink scar of his wound.

" _Dios mio_ ," Eddie muttered 'my God' in Spanish.

"A kid shot you?" Buck gasped as he looked at TK, trying to wrap his head around what Carlos said.

Before TK could respond, both Eddie and Buck's eyes widened as they shared a look, "Christopher!" They exclaimed together.

"Shit! I was supposed to relieve Carla an hour ago," Eddie groaned, jumping up from his seat. Collecting his wallet from his pocket, he pulled out a few bills and set them on the table, "Buck, you good to get back to your car?"

"Oh, yeah, of course," Buck nodded, shaking from the daze he'd been in, "give Chris a hug for me and I'll see you Saturday at work," he replied, glancing up at his friend.

Eddie eyed him, studying his features, "you sure? Don't hesitate to call if you need to talk."

"Thanks," Buck smiled at him, "I'm good, but I'll call if I need to," he promised.

Not wanting to dwell on it and knowing he had to leave, Eddie nodded, glancing at Carlos and TK, "TK, I'm sorry to hear about what happened to you. I'm glad you're on the mend. And it was nice to meet you guys. I hope you have a nice stay here and maybe we can catch up again before you guys go back to Texas," he suggested.

"Yeah, that'd be great. I'd love to get to know Buck's friends," TK replied, picking up his water glass to take a drink, "we're leaving Sunday, but we might have some time between now and then."

Accepting that answer with a nod, Eddie exchanged brief goodbyes with all three men, before leaving. Once he was out of earshot, TK put his water glass down a little harder than he'd expected it to sound, but this was an easy way to get Buck's attention, "alright," TK eyed his long time best friend, "how long has this thing been going on between you two?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed it! We promise the next chapter will be a little lighter! Thank you for all the support, kudos, and comments! We are seeing them and truly appreciate your response and we will definitely get to them in the future!


	3. Opening Blind Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Buck has some thinking to do

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Normally we wouldn’t do this, but since this chapter continues on directly from the previous chapter, here’s the last line from it, just in case you don’t remember!
> 
> From Chapter 2:  
>  _Accepting that answer with a nod, Eddie exchanged brief goodbyes with all three men, before leaving. Once he was out of earshot, TK put his water glass down a little harder than he’d expected it to sound, but this was an easy way to get Buck’s attention, “alright,” TK eyed his long time best friend, “how long has this thing been going on between you two?”_

~*~

"What thing? I don't know what you're talking about," Buck responded quickly.

"Come on man," Carlos started. "I only met you a few hours ago and I can already see that there is definitely something between you and Eddie."

"Because we," TK motioned between him and Carlos, "just finished dancing through _that_ like a month ago, and the only reason why that happened when it did was that I got shot. It kinda sped up the process."

"You think I like Eddie? Of course, I do; he's one of my best friends, but that's it," Buck replied, but could already feel his brain racing a mile-a-minute.

"Yeah, that's about as true as me saying I'm bisexual and I have dated women," TK retorted, laughing lightly, "you are into him and not just as friends."

"And he is definitely into you, but seems like you both are scared of losing the friendship," Carlos explained, "I think if TK and I had known each other a lot longer than a few months, we might have also been concerned about that."

"You're not concerned about ruining our friendship now?" TK turned to eye him curiously, smirking, "choose your words wisely."

Carlos laughed lightly and pulled his boyfriend towards him, kissing him on the lips, "I definitely am, but we made the leap to boyfriends because we wanted more," Carlos looked at Buck, "and it seems like you and Eddie have been wanting more for a while," he paused to motion between the three of them, "and if there is one thing cops and firefighters know, it's that tomorrow isn't promised. If you wait, you may never get a chance to tell him how you truly feel. You don't want to live with that regret."

"You scarily sounded like my dad right there," TK groaned, then sobered, "but he's right. You don't want to live with that regret. I'm not happy with how Alex treated me, but at least he told me and I didn't find out another way."

Buck took a deep breath, sighing as he scrubbed his hands over his face, "I'm not ready to talk about this. Can we talk about something else right now?" He begged. He couldn't deny that there was definitely something between him and Eddie, but up until that moment, he hadn't really thought about what it could be, which caused even more nerves to build over the topic.

Seeing his friend struggling to talk about it, TK conceded and decided to change the subject, "fair enough. Does the 118 have a dog yet? Dad got us one! His name's Buttercup," TK announced, pulling his phone out of his pocket to show Buck his phone's background, of him and the black, amber and white Bernese Mountain Dog, "he likes me the most and normally we should leave him at the station all the time, but he comes home with dad sometimes. And most of the time he ends up sleeping on my bed at home or in the station."

"Yeah, if you notice the dog is on his screen? I have to compete with a four-legged furball for his affection," Carlos sighed dramatically.

"Well we would have a dog, but _someone_ has to be allergic to dogs," Buck pouted, "and just so you know, he's always loved animals, and if he could have brought him on your trip, he probably would have."

~*~

Continuing to chat about their lives, catching up with personal and professional details, TK and Buck made sure to exchange contact information before they finally went their own ways. Buck didn't want to impose on all of TK and Carlos' trip, but since TK knew Carlos would be busy again the next day, he and Buck made plans to meet up, so they could continue their trip down memory lane and get to know each other as the new and improved Buck and TK.

~*~

Carlos was a cop. He's used to keeping his emotions in check and though he slipped up initially when he met up with TK at the fire station, he offered his best poker face while talking with TK, Buck, and Eddie. He couldn't help a ton of questions brewing in his mind throughout the night, but he kept his cool until after they'd dropped Buck off at his Jeep at the fire station and finally parted ways for the night.

"Holy crap, what a day!" TK grinned, sinking back into the passenger seat as Carlos followed the GPS back to their hotel.

"Yeah, seemed very eventful for you," Carlos agreed, unsure exactly what TK was getting at.

"What did you think of Buck?" TK wondered, "that's really weird to call him that. I'm so used to calling him Evan, but all his friends now call him Buck, so I probably should get used to it."

"He seems like a great guy and you two definitely have a lot of history together," Carlos agreed, shrugging, "it's just that his name has never come up before. So it was a bit of a shock to meet someone from your past so suddenly."

"We haven't seen each other in like five years and have only had a few brief conversations in that time over Facebook. We were close back then and dad and I were his family when he had no one, but we don't have that much in common now, except our history and firefighting. Now he has his sister and his fire family here in LA and I've made my home and found my family in Austin with you, my dad, and the 126."

"I think you have more in common than you think," Carlos offered, unsure if TK realized what it was.

TK raised a curious eyebrow at Carlos, "what are you talking about?"

Realizing he was going to be the voice of reason again, like he had been at dinner, he smirked, "you guys should seriously pay me for my advice," he laughed lightly, but sobered to explain, "TK, there's a good chance that your best friend is going to be pursuing a romantic relationship with a man he works with. First off, he didn't seem to be shocked that you were suggesting he could be gay or bi-sexual, and second, is there anything I need to know about your history? Was there ever _anything_ specific between you two?"

"I mean yeah he has hinted at it before, but to my knowledge never really acted on it. He knows that dad and I would be alright with whomever he wanted to date," TK began to answer. "And while Evan and I are close, there was never anything romantic between us. Like ever. I mean I was first attracted to his teammate, not him. We just developed a friendship."

"I believe you," Carlos smiled, surprised at the weight he felt lifted off his shoulders, "I'm sorry for asking, I just... We're still learning about each other's past and I didn't know..."

"You were jealous," TK smirked, finally catching on, "that's why you've been wearing a poker face all night."

Carlos wanted to deny that statement, but with all that he'd learned about Buck and TK's relationship, it was one piece he couldn't quite shake, even if he did have to remind himself that anything between them was just that; history, "I didn't want to make a scene until I had a chance to talk to you alone."

"Thanks for waiting to freak out," TK laughed lightly and reached over, taking his boyfriend's hand in his, "I promise you, there was never anything between Buck and I like there is between us. We were friends; that's it."

"I see that now," Carlos assured him, squeezing their joined hands, "I will try not to be as tense next time we hang out."

"I know exactly what we can do to help us relax," TK grinned.

Carlos easily knew where he was going and though he was tired, he was not going to turn down some alone time with his boyfriend. "We're almost back to the hotel, so take it easy, Tiger. Then I'm all yours."

~*~

Climbing into his Jeep at the fire station, hours after he'd gotten off work, Buck couldn't help the thoughts swirling around in his mind as he began his drive home. He'd really enjoyed connecting with TK again, and meeting his boyfriend and looked forward to more time with them before they returned to Texas. At the thought of Texas, Buck's mind wandered to a specific topic from their meal; just what he felt for Eddie.

" _Do we really have those kinds of feelings for each other?_ " Buck wondered silently, " _I know I love him as a best friend, and Christoper, too. That doesn't mean I have romantic feelings for him, does it?_ " With a sigh, he continued on his familiar route home, " _okay, think about it this way. If TK came to you and said he was in love with his best friend, what would your advice be to him? Probably the same thing they told me. I know I've only dated women since being with the 118, but that doesn't mean I couldn't date a guy. I just haven't found the right one... Well, maybe I have found the right one and I'm secretly holding out, hoping he'll open up to me more and give me something to work with. We've been through so much and... Whenever we have something go on in our life, who's the first one we want to go to? Each other and as far as I know, he's never told anyone, except me that he trusts his son with me most. That means something... And the shoulder bumping and extra touches..._ " Buck groaned as the pieces of a very large puzzle began to come together in his mind, " _we're doing that because we're comfortable with each other. I don't usually do that with anyone else, except him; that definitely is a big clue... Oh shit, I really do have feelings for him!_ "

By now, Buck had returned to his apartment and was grabbing for a beer in the fridge, " _but he's not… Well, he was married to Shannon, but that doesn't mean he isn't bi and back then, there was the ‘Don't Ask, Don't Tell' policy, so he couldn't really come out if he was. That's probably why he's more private about his life. Maybe that's why he's not really dated since he got here. Sure, he and Shannon were still married at first, but she's passed away now and it's been a year... What if he's waiting for me? What if all the extra or lingering touches we've been sharing is his way of telling me, without actually saying it; hoping one day I'll figure it out and say something? Maybe he figured it out, but how? I guess I do play the field, whatever field I'm in, so I've never really labeled it or found a need to make an announcement. Maybe I checked a guy out?_ " Buck took a deep breath, letting this information settle on his mind for a moment, " _or maybe he caught me checking him out! Oh man, I know I have, but I didn't realize why until just now. TK and Carlos are right and picked it up quickly and if what they said is true about Eddie feeling the same, I have to tell him. I can't wait, but I… Am I really sure? I think I need some time to figure this out._ "

~*~

"Uh, are you wearing that today?" TK wondered, biting his lip as he watched his boyfriend put a gray Austin PD t-shirt on.

"That was my plan. Why? Is there a stain on it?" Carlos glanced down at his shirt.

"Maybe you should go look in the mirror," TK moved to his bag, "I didn't realize it'd show," he explained of the little mark he left on Carlos' neck in the shower.

"TK!" Carlos exclaimed, a groan escaping his lips as he found the bite on his neck in the mirror, "that wasn't there when I took a shower."

"Well, you let me shower with you," TK smirked, "I saw an opportunity and I took it."

"Yeah, and I'm meeting your family tomorrow!" Carlos retorted, dashing back into the room to look at some of the other shirts he'd brought, glad to find a polo shirt that came up further on his neck, "no more."

"Hey, I'm just trying to live up to my Tiger nickname," TK shrugged, moving towards him as he changed shirts and he reached out, buttoning the bottom and middle buttons for him, closing the collar a little, "there, most of it is covered up."

Carlos smirked, shaking his head as he reached up to take TK's hands in his, "you like to make my life difficult, huh?"

"Difficult? No. Fun, yes," TK replied, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips, "can you honestly say before you met me that you didn't mostly focus on work?"

"I'll give you that one," Carlos agreed, "I have had more adventures since meeting you, but I do try to keep it professional."

"Please don't try with me. Let's be Tyler and Carlos and leave Officer Reyes and Firefighter Strand for work only," TK suggested, wrapping his arms around Carlos' shoulders, "we need to be a little adventurous… you know, walk on the wild side sometimes," he winked.

"Okay, that's enough Animal Planet analogies for the morning," Carlos laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips, "when is Buck getting here?"

"Oh sure, take the fun out of my conversations, again," TK sighed dramatically as he pulled back, but sobered, "probably about the time you leave."

"Alright, well," Carlos contemplated his words, "so, I hope you have my number memorized, because if you two decide to get too adventurous today and somehow end up in the wrong kind of _tiger cage_ , your phone will get put in a belongings bag, so you probably won't be able to use it to call me to bail you guys out."

TK scoffed at the insinuation and smirked, "are you trying to say Buck and I are a dangerous combination?"

Carlos laughed as he filled his pockets with things he needed, "well, after all the stuff that's happened to him in the past few years, and what's gone on with you in just the last six months, I can't help but worry you'll get arrested or worse, end up in the hospital. Please don't make me have to call your dad and tell him you guys got stuck in some peculiar incident."

"Sorry, I'm fresh out of bubble wrap to wear," TK retorted, "but I'll do my best to keep us out of trouble, though I can't make promises about Buck."

~*~

While continuing to joke around, the young couple finished getting ready. As Carlos was about to leave, Buck messaged that he'd arrived, so TK and Carlos walked down to the lobby together. Carlos guided his boyfriend over to Buck's Jeep and opened his door, a gesture TK was still getting used to, but he climbed into the SUV and greeted Buck.

Carlos closed the door and leaned into the open window, "alright, have fun you two and stay out of trouble," he winked at TK.

TK leaned over to press a kiss to his lips, "yes dad."

"Don't worry, I'll keep him in one piece and have him back to you by curfew, dad," Buck laughed, "and I don't need to know what you guys play in the bedroom, either!"

Letting a groan escape his lips, Carlos took a deep breath and waved at them, not even responding to Buck's joke, "just don't get arrested or hurt!"

"Ah, where's the fun in that? Besides," Buck pulled a business card out of a compartment on his dash, "I've got Sargeant Athena Grant on speedial. She'll bail us out."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: We spend more time laughing than typing sometimes, but we are enjoying it and hope you all are, too! We appreciate the comments and the kudos! Thanks for the support and we will get to responding when we can!


	4. Shock To The System

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~

It wasn't easy for Carlos to watch his boyfriend drive off with someone he didn't know well, but he trusted TK; it was Buck he was unsure about. He believed TK when he told him there was never anything romantic between them, but with the conversation at dinner about Buck and Eddie, Carlos couldn't help shaking the thought, and he just needed to talk the whole situation out with someone who wasn't TK or Buck.

Carlos's mind wandered throughout the morning as he tried to focus on the different classes he was taking during the conference, but he kept drifting back to his boyfriend. It didn't help that he had no clue where they were or if they were okay, since he'd not heard from TK by the time he was free to get lunch during a break. He knew that no news was good news, and that he worried way too much, but who could blame him? TK had gone through a lot recently and seemed like Buck had, too, so all of that weighed him down with worry. He did resist the temptation to text TK to check in, because he also didn't want to come across as a jealous or clingy significant other.

"Ah, hello, Officer Reyes, good to see you again," Athena's voice interrupted his thoughts, "how was your evening?"

Shaking from his daze, Carlos looked to see the seasoned sergeant standing next to him, "it was interesting," he admitted, "and you as well, Sergeant Grant. Did your evening go well?"

"Couple of glasses of wine on the couch with my husband, while my kids were with their father, nothing too exciting; just the way I like it," she chuckled, "I hope dinner went well with Buck and Eddie."

"It did," Carlos replied, unsure exactly what he should say to her, "seem like cool guys."

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming," Athena added, gazing at him, "shall we talk over lunch?"

Carlos nodded, "that would be great, ma'am."

Athena laughed lightly and the two collected their lunch and found a table to sit down once they'd gotten something to drink, "alright, you've been looking at your phone most of the morning. Spill," she eyed him, "and don't make me have to interrogate you."

"Where do I start?" Carlos thought for a moment, "was I wrong to let my boyfriend get into a car with Buck this morning?"

"Oh, you've got a lot to learn about that boy," Athena started, "when I first met him, he was stealing fire trucks to have sex with women all over town. Bobby even fired him for like 2.5 seconds. But he has turned it around. Abby turned him around."

"Who's Abby? I don't remember him mentioning her last night," Carlos wondered, "and stealing fire trucks?"

"Well stealing isn't the correct word. More like borrowing them for inappropriate use of city funds and fabricating the truth about what he was doing with them. He'd tell Bobby that he would be taking the truck to get something 'fixed' and then it would take forever. However, Bobby followed one time and..." Athena laughed. She found herself grateful that the young man had changed so much from when she first met him. "But he did redeem himself, by 'borrowing' a truck to help me save a young girl during a home-invasion. As for Abby, that's a story. She was a 911 dispatcher, Buck and her hit it off, even though their first date was a disaster. They were together briefly, but after her mother passed, she left the country. Did not break up with Buck or anything; just left. But damn, that boy loved her."

Carlos' eyes widened in shock, unsure exactly how to respond to that.

"This new version of that young man, is the type of man I want my son to grow up to be. He would lay his life on the line for, and has, for the people you met last night. And it isn't just them. Their families are just as important to him," Athena explained as she let just the tiniest bit of emotion show.

"It sounds like he ended up in the right place. He said after New York, he went to South American before coming back to the states and landing in LA," Carlos replied softly, "also seems like he's been through a lot, but is stronger now because of it," the question was on the tip of his tongue, but he just wasn't sure this was the right person to ask. He knew he didn't have many others he could; he'd ask Michelle in a heartbeat if she was there, but she wasn't and it'd take too long to explain, so he bit his lip, hoping she didn't notice his nerves, but she was cop; she'd figure it out soon enough.

"Buck has been through hell and back the past couple of years. And not just with Abby and the on-the-job injuries. I don't think the old version could have survived what's been thrown at him. But if you are worried that he will either a) make a move on your boyfriend, or b) not protect him if he had to, the answer to both of those is no. That boy has eyes for one person only and it isn't Abby or your boyfriend," Athena explained trying to ease the thoughts she knew were running through Carlos' head.

"So if we can see that, then why can't they?" Carlos asked, a weight lifting off his shoulders at trying to figure out how to bring that up, "how blind are they?"

"Everytime I see them I ask myself that same question," Athena laughs, "And everyone on their team sees it too. Maybe they don't think the other returns the feelings. I don't want to be in the heads of either of them, as much as I love them."

"Well, Eddie left before we talked about it, but we could clearly see something there and we pointed it out to Buck. I honestly don't think he ever connected those specific dots before, but I hope he does. In our line of work and even after TK got shot, it was obvious tomorrow's not promised."

"Those two know that as well... I hope they can figure it out soon," Athena started but didn't know exactly how to finish. "I just don't want something catastrophic to happen for them to realize how much they mean to one another."

~*~

Carlos' worries subsided substantially after talking with Athena and learning more about Buck from someone who knew him well. He also held hope that Buck and Eddie would realize their feelings before it's too late.

As the two officers had finished up their meal, Carlos got a notification that TK had posted something online, so he checked it out and saw a few pictures of him and Buck on some cliff overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Even more worry disappeared at seeing his boyfriend smiling and looking relaxed and happy, so he trusted their day was going well.

~*~

Once Buck and TK's adventure began, the two old friends fell into familiar territory; arguing over who was picking the music and if they'd leave the windows down or use the AC, having fun with the banter, but also finding ways to bring up what had been going on in their lives to catch up.

TK had been to LA several times over the years to visit family, so he'd been to some of the more local hang outs, but this time, Buck suggested they head south of the city and find some easy hikes that led to great views.

After a fun filled morning and early afternoon, the guys finally caved and found a popular taco truck and ordered a late lunch, while TK posted some of the pictures they'd taken on Facebook, wanting to document his travels and reunion with his best friend from years prior.

Once they had their food and found a seat at an empty picnic table, the two sat down to continue their conversations from the day, and TK finally felt like it was time to bring up the big one from the night before, "so... Did you do any thinking about what we pointed out to you last night?"

Buck knew this question would come at some point during the day, so he'd prepared for it, but it still wasn't easy to respond, "um, well, yeah, I did. I thought so much about it I could barely sleep last night..."

"Look, if we misread the signals you were giving off, I'm so sorry, but there's definitely something there," TK offered.

"You didn't misread them. After I thought about it, I realized I do have those kinds of feelings for him," Buck admitted, taking a deep breath, "but I've never come out as bi, because since working with the 118 and definitely since knowing Eddie, I've never dated guys; just women. I've never looked at another guy that I know of."

"It seems like he is into you, so what are you worried about? Maybe he's struggling with the feelings of being bi, too," TK suggested.

"I honestly just don't want to lose our friendship or Christopher. Eddie is my best friend who has been there for me for so much and I love Christopher as if he were my own son. If I were to tell Eddie I had feelings for him and he didn't reciprocate those same feelings, there is a very good chance I could lose my best friends and I don't know if I could handle that."

"I get that. I really do," TK nodded, taking a drink of his water, "and if you choose not to tell him, I'll respect that and support you, but can you live with regret if God forbid something happened to him at work and you didn't get to tell him? Or what if one day some woman comes to the station to greet him and you realize he's been dating someone and hasn't said anything? How would you feel then?" TK took a deep breath, "sorry, I don't mean to keep harping on this, but the Buck I knew went after someone he wanted, even if it didn't go well. I get you have a friendship there that could be awkward if you say something, and this is a big decision and conversation to have, but I just want you to think of all the different sides of it before you make a choice either way."

Buck nodded and sighed, "thanks. I know and I appreciate that. I just need time to process everything."

TK nodded again and finished his water, "that's fair and I'm right here, or, well, just a phone call away once I'm back in Texas."

"I'll keep that in mind," Buck smiled, "thanks, bro," he pushed his plate away and finished his own drink, "should we head back north so we can go meet up with your boyfriend?"

~*~

Putting their deep conversation on the back burner for now, TK and Buck climbed back into his Jeep and headed back towards Santa Monica, reaching the area around the same time Carlos was leaving the conference, so they agreed to meet back at the hotel and then they'd figure out their night from there.

Carlos was the last to arrive and walked into the hotel room finding TK stretched out on the bed and Buck kicked back on the sofa, both of them playing on their phones; neither looking up when he walked in, "wow, I could have been some psycho and neither of you budged. I don't know if I should be worried you two don't startle well or be glad it was me and not some stranger."

"Honestly we've seen some crazy shit on the job. Nothing phases us anymore," Buck laughed sitting up to wave at him.

TK rolled off the bed and moved towards his boyfriend, wrapping his arms around his neck, "Buck did want to be a Navy SEAL, remember? You really think I needed to worry?" TK wondered, knowing Buck had done the training and could pass the physical requirements; it was the emotional detachment that he couldn't do, which is why he quit in the first place, "and I knew you were on your way, so you would have saved us," he added, pressing a kiss to his lips.

Carlos smirked, accepting the kiss from TK and returning his hug, "damn right. I promised your dad I'd protect you and I plan to always keep that promise," he confirmed, glancing between him and Buck, "you guys looked as though you had a fun day."

"Yeah, we did," Buck nodded, kicking his feet up on the small table near the couch, "was like old times."

"When he lived in the city and we'd have free time, we'd take road trips together," TK explained, when he noticed the confused look on Carlos' face.

"Do you remember when we drove up to the Hamptons and rubbed elbows with the rich kids?" Buck laughed, "that was fun."

TK's cheeks flushed a deeper shade of red than they had been from getting some sun that afternoon and he bit his lip, "we don't have to talk about that right now."

"Ah, _cariño_ , why not? Sounds like an interesting trip," Carlos winked, sitting down on the end of the bed, "or are you worried I'll get jealous of something that happened years ago? Which you don't have to be, you know?" He reached out to take his hand and coaxed him to sit down next to him.

As the memories from that specific day came back to him, TK flushed even more as he sat down with Carlos and glanced at Buck, "I'd had a crush on a guy from high school and he was going to be partying at his dad's house in the Hampton's that weekend and invited us. We went up for the day and I don't think Buck remembers much, but I do remember having some fun with that guy. But I never saw him after that..."

"His loss is definitely my gain," Carlos draped an arm around TK's shoulders and kissed him, "now, what's the plans for tonight? Are we staying in or going out? I'd like to change out of these clothes."

TK glanced at what he had on, reaching for the collar of his polo to see just what the mark looked like, "it lost some of its color."

"Don't even think about trying to make it darker tonight," Carlos warned, "I'm meeting your family tomorrow."

"Fine," he sighed dramatically and then glanced at Buck who was holding back a laugh, "oh don't even start. You know you wanna do that to Eddie."

Buck's eyes widened at the thought and his cheeks flushed, glaring at his friend, "not fair."

"I'm just calling it like it is," TK retorted, "and the sooner you tell him, the sooner you can mark him. I'm just saying," he shrugged, then glanced back at Carlos, "why don't we stay in tonight, order something to be delivered and then tomorrow, after the reunion and we're free of the Strand Family and Buck and Eddie are off work, we can go out?"

The three men shared glances between each other and both men agreed with TK's suggestion, so while Carlos changed into some more comfortable clothes, TK and Buck searched on their delivery apps for food and soon had items from several different places on it's way.

"So much easier than going out," TK grabbed a pillow off the bed and threw it at Buck who had gotten distracted with his phone again.

"Hey! What was that for?" Buck exclaimed, tossing the pillow to the side.

"Children, do I have to separate you?" Carlos groaned, sitting back on the bed and tucking his pillow behind his back as he leaned against the headboard.

Buck threw the pillow back, "well, he started it! You're the cop, use your handcuffs!"

"Sorry, I didn't get any free samples at the conference," Carlos retorted, "and even if I had, they'd be for later."

"Okay, nope, didn't need to know any of that," Buck groaned, trying to shake the thoughts of their bedtime adventures from his mind. Just as he was trying to form a sentence, his phone vibrated in his hand to alert him to some of their food arriving, "oh thank God. Some of the food's here!"

~*~

Only being halfway through his twenty-four-hour shift, Eddie was dragging and glad for a little downtime. He'd already checked in with Carla and Christopher to make sure they were okay and to say 'goodnight' to his son before he went to bed for the night. Eddie missed his son when he worked long shifts, but he was thankful for Carla staying with him and all the help she'd been to the Diaz family since meeting her through Buck.

With some more time free, Eddie grabbed his phone charger from his bag, and headed into the bunk room, grabbing the closest bunk to the door, in case they got a call and he needed to get up in a hurry. Once he'd kicked off his boots and plugged his phone in, he laid down and stretched out on his side on the narrow bunk. Closing his eyes for a little while, not expecting to fall asleep, but wanting some quiet to help his mind slow down from the day.

The beds were not made to be luxurious, but were a big step up from the Army cots he slept in on all his deployments and knew he could get comfortable enough to sleep in if he needed, but for now, he just wanted his mind to slow down from the day.

Thirty minutes later, his brain was still running no matter what he tried to think of, because they'd had a busy day with several back-to-back calls, so his body was still running on adrenaline. Realizing he wasn't going to get any real rest, he decided since his phone was charging he'd check his social media accounts and see what he'd missed that day from his family and friends, since he didn't have a lot of time between calls to check. The last thing he expected to see scrolling through his Facebook feed was a smile he'd become accustomed to seeing in-person and not online.

_**Facebook:** _   
_**TK Strand** has tagged **Carlos Reyes** and **Evan Buckley** in a post in Los Angeles, California: Came to LA with Carlos and can't believe I bumped into my long time friend Evan while here in town! It's about time #Tevan reunited! And now we're adventuring on the West Coast like we used to on the East Coast! Gotta say, I damn sure missed him!_

" _What the hell? Tevan?_ " Eddie's eyes widened as he quickly looked through the photos. The first one was of Buck and TK smiling to the camera, the Pacific Ocean behind them. Buck stood a few inches taller than TK, so Buck's arm was around TK's shoulders, holding him close as they focused on the camera. " _For someone who has a boyfriend, he sure looks cozy with Buck!_ " Eddie's mind exclaimed as he flipped through the other photos to see a few more of them in other places, smiling happily with the backdrop of the ocean, cliffs or other sights they'd seen that day.

Unsure exactly what to make of it, but also feeling a knot building in his stomach from unknown emotion, he gave up on relaxing and headed off to find Hen. Finding her playing XBox he plopped down next to her and held out his phone to her, "help."

Raising a curious eyebrow at him, she paused the game she was playing to take his phone and immediately saw the pictures he'd just been looking at. "So, Buck and TK hung out today. What's wrong with that?"

"Read the text," Eddie sighed again, running his hand over his face, "am I crazy? What the hell is Tevan?"

"Oh honey, don't worry about it," Hen started, wanting to find a way that would explain it well but not upset Eddie. However, she wanted him to realize just how dense and jealous he was being about someone who wasn't his boyfriend. "Trust me, with that look, there isn't anything going on between them. They're just friends."

"You say that, and they say that, but they have so much history! How can I compete with that? I've only known Buck a few years!" Eddie sunk further down into the couch cushions, "and why am I acting like this? I've never had a problem with other people he knows."

"Because you have had a soft spot for him since he introduced you to Carla. He was helping you out and putting Christopher first. And Buck has been doing that ever since he met that amazing boy of yours," Hen smiled as she saw the small grin grace Eddie's face when his son's name was mentioned. "And it doesn't take an idiot to see the heart eyes you've been giving him ever since the tsunami, when the lovable idiot that Buck is, nearly sacrificed himself to make sure Chris made it home to you."

"I...um…" Eddie was left speechless.

"Admit it boy, you adore our Buck more and more each day. I have known for a while that you have some serious feelings for him," Hen finished.

Eddie's mouth fell open in shock at her words, as if they had lined up all the events of the past few years as a neon sign in his brain, "oh my God!" He gasped, running his hand through his hair before taking his phone back from her to look at the photos again, "I... I think you're right," he whispered, glancing at her, "I think I have feelings for my best friend."

"So, what are you going to do about it?" Hen wondered, "because that boy's had heart eyes for you for quite some time."

"You think so?" Eddie asked, feeling a spark of hope, "but what about our friendship?"

"I know he has feelings for you," she told him truthfully, "it's in the way he looks at you, the way he loves your son. He's head over heels for you, too, so if I were you," she paused to smirk, "I'd follow Beyoncé's advice and put a ring on it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Spanish Translation:**  
>  " _Mi cariño_ " - sweetheart, dear, sweetie, honey
> 
> A/N4: Thanks for reading! Hope you all enjoyed this as much as we are writing it! Let us know what you think! We appreciate all the support and we're reading everything, and will respond when we can! See ya next chapter and May The Fourth Be With You!


	5. Crash Course

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Underlined text: quote from 911: Lone Star episode 1x03 - 'Texas Proud' - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

~*~

"Good morning, Eddie," Buck greeted chipperly Saturday morning as he walked into the locker room, "how was your shift?"

"Probably not as good as your day off yesterday," Eddie retorted, an edge of bitterness to his tone.

"What's wrong with you? Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bunk?" Buck wondered, raising a curious eyebrow at him.

"What's wrong with me? What do you mean? You're supposedly my best friend and I feel like I don't even know you anymore! Why are you lying to me?" Eddie asked, throwing his boots into his locker and digging out his shoes to put on.

Buck looked around to see if anyone was in there and since they seemed to be alone at the moment, he moved towards him, "what the hell? Lying about what?"

"Who's Tevan?" Eddie snapped, "why didn't you ever tell me you were bi? And how does Carlos feel about you and his boyfriend spending all day yesterday together?"

"He knew we spent the day together because I picked TK up at the hotel yesterday," Buck replied, "and I thought we went through this yesterday! TK and I don't have _that_ kind of history together and will never have anything romantic going on. As for why I didn't tell you, well it's not like I need to take a billboard out to make that announcement. I like women, I like men. It's not my fault you just assumed that I only liked women because that's all I've dated since you've known me. If you ever had a suspicion that I was bi, you could have asked, instead of getting pissed at me for not telling you before you found out."

Eddie glared at Buck and grabbed the last few items out from his locker he needed and shook his head, "I can't do this right now," he huffed, slamming his locker shut and storming towards the door, "I thought we were better friends than that. I thought we could trust each other, so forgive me if I'm a little shocked that such a big detail of your life came up in a random conversation without any warning. Friends should be able to share that kind of stuff," he finished, leaving the room and brushing past Chim and Hen on his way out, definitely not in the mood to talk to anyone.

"Damn, Buck, what did you say to him?" Chim asked, walking into the locker room.

"I... I don't want to talk about it," Buck replied, unsure even how to bring it up with them, "I'm not even sure what just happened myself."

Hen could easily tell that Buck was upset, but she decided not to push him while Chimney was in the locker room. She and Chim were getting off work and she took her time, hoping that he'd finish before she was done and leave, so she could talk to Buck. Once out of her uniform and into her street clothes, she saw that Chim was getting his bags and saying goodbye, so once he left, she moved to sit next to Buck on the bench he was sitting on, "didn't want to talk in front of Chim?"

"It's not that...it's just that Eddie went off on me about keeping secrets. Honestly, I haven't kept much from any of you, least of all him," Buck explained. "Yes, I'm bi, but I didn't 'hide' it from you all. I had Abby before I met him and then when she left and I met him, I haven't looked at guys," he sighed, "so I didn't think it was some big deal about not saying anything and he's spouting off about us needing to trust each other to share things like that."

"Here's the thing, you two boys need to talk to each other. I know quite a bit about you," Hen started as she bumped shoulders with the younger man she had come to think of as a brother. "Eddie feels like you aren't telling him some of these things. Let him cool down, then go over there and hash things out. But if one of you comes back with a black eye, I win 10 dollars, just saying."

"God I hope it doesn't get to that," Buck groaned, taking a deep breath, "do you think he'll cool off by tonight? TK and Carlos wanted us to join them at the bar tonight."

"I'm sure he will. Just make sure you go over after your shift. You don't want to let this kind of disagreement or whatever you want to call it go on for long; we all know what happened last time you guys were fighting," she eyed him, "none of us want to go there again."

Buck nodded and smiled lightly at her, "thanks, Hen. I'll go over after shift and see if he'll talk to me. I don't want to let any more arguments go on too long between us either."

"Good," Hen shifted to stand up and moved towards her locker, "you know, between all the advice I'm giving y'all, I should start charging for my services!"

~*~

The address to the reunion didn't give too many descriptions, but TK put it in and found it was only a short distance from their hotel. Even though they wanted to walk they decided to take their rental car so they could leave directly from there to go into town that night. The only problem with the rental was they had to find parking or do valet.

Throughout the morning, TK had been giving Carlos a rundown of the family members he expected to be there and while he was an only child, he had numerous cousins on his dad's side of the family, so he knew it would be a large party.

"If you get overwhelmed, please just let me know, we can leave whenever you want," TK started, almost dreading the reunion now that the day had come.

"Okay... I mean, I'm a cop, I'm used to crazy," he smirked, repeating a line he told TK when he'd been arrested, "but I'm not working so it's different. I can't pull a gun on these people."

"Well, you could, but that would be awkward," TK laughed lightly as they finally arrived at their destination, a rental home near the park that was used for parties, "now that I'm here, I really don't want to be, but I promised dad I'd go."

"You told me if I get nervous or overwhelmed, let you know; well the same goes for you, too. If you get anxious or need to leave, we can. Use me as an excuse," Carlos explained finding a place to park and once the engine was off, he turned to his boyfriend, "you ready?"

"No," TK sighed, "most of my family have been able to look past my drug addiction to see I've changed, but there are some that still see me as the screw-up kid who can't do anything right; even if they're nice to face."

"Well, they're wrong. You aren't a screw-up kid. You did make some mistakes in your past, but you've owned up to them and are working on getting better," Carlos took his hand in his, "and I'm right there with you. You're not going in there alone. I've got your back."

TK let a smile tug at his lips as he nodded, "thanks, babe."

"Anytime," Carlos leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips, "we should probably get in there. Sooner we do, we can meet and greet, mingle, and then skip out whenever we want."

"I love how you think," TK squeezed their joined hands, "and maybe if we have time after we leave, we could go back to the hotel and enjoy being by ourselves for a while before we go out with Buck and Eddie tonight."

"Both of them are coming?" Carlos asked, "do you really think so?"

TK took a deep breath, "according to Buck's text, he's hopeful, but I guess they got into an argument this morning, so after his shift, he's going to go talk to him. If it goes well, Eddie will probably come, but if it doesn't; well, I may have to be Buck's designated driver or he's crashing at the hotel again."

Carlos laughed lightly at his suggestion, "well, as much as I like Buck, it's our last night here and after going out with him, I'd like to have some alone time before we get back to Austin and to sleeping apart."

"Who said we had to sleep apart? I mean, you could stay at my place or I could go to yours. We have options," TK responded, a spark in his eye that hadn't been there moments earlier.

"Easy Tiger," Carlos warned, "we're taking things slow and if we keep talking in the car, we're never going to get inside to your family. Let's just agree that we hope Eddie comes tonight and then we won't have to deal with an extra guest."

TK laughed, then took a calming breath and nodded, "alright, let's go get this over with."

~*~

As TK and Carlos were walking up to the party, TK stopped in his tracks and remembered one detail about his family that he had failed to mention to Carlos yet, "oh, there's something else you should know."

"What?" Carlos wondered, a wrapped gift from Owen and TK tucked under his arm.

"My family is, well, my grandparents are well off. They did really well in real estate and have retired back here. Dad was born here in Santa Monica, but when he was fifteen they moved to NYC. Dad chose to make his life in New York and his family wasn't the happiest when he didn't decide to join the family business and come back to California with them. I wouldn't call him the black sheep or anything, but he is the oldest boy and there's always some dig at how he threw away the good life to be a firefighter, but after 9/11 they changed their tune a lot and now are super proud of him and they've always loved me."

"So are you telling me this so I'm not surprised if someone makes a comment about being well off or about firefighters?" Carlos wondered, unsure exactly what he needed to know.

"Oh, uh, both of them actually," TK agreed, "sorry, I'm nervous and if there's an accidental way we get separated in there, steer clear of Uncle Roger. He's not legally married to the family anymore, but he's the father of my aunt's kids, so he still gets invited to things so there's no way my cousins can't come to events."

"Okay, stay away from someone named Roger, don't flip out if someone disrespects firefighters and expect money to be brought up in conversation. Got it," Carlos laughed lightly, then stepped closer to his boyfriend and pressed a kiss to his lips, "calm down. We're gonna have fun."

"I hope so," TK murmured against his lips.

"Oh, my God! Is that little Tyler Kennedy!" A woman exclaimed coming up from behind them.

TK groaned against his boyfriend's lips, "think Kardashians but blond," he muttered, pulling back, "hey, Aunt Lexi," he waved, as he turned around to greet her.

"Oh, please don't call me aunt, I'm too young to be an aunt," the blond sighed, reaching out to pull him into a tight hug.

As TK's head came into contact with her chest, he bit his lip and groaned, " _how on Earth did she get made from the same people who made my dad?_ " He thought, patting her back as he hugged her and begged himself to not flinch when she touched his still sore shoulder, "okay, Lexi. Good to see you again. It's been a while."

"Well, if my big brother would ever let you come for a visit it wouldn't have been," she sighed, "where is he anyway?" She looked around, her eyes landing on Carlos, "oh, hello, handsome," she reached out not even introducing herself at first as she rested her hand on Carlos' bicep, "hum, I sure would like to have those arms around me."

TK saw him tense up as she touched him, and he coughed a little so she didn't hear his groan as he moved to put his good arm around Carlos' shoulders, "Lexi, this is _my boyfriend_ Carlos. Sweetheart, this my dad's youngest sister Alexia, but we all call her Lexi."

Carlos cleared his throat nervously, "uh, it's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," he greeted, holding out his hand to her.

"Oh, uh, I'm too young to be a 'ma'am', just call me Lexi, please," she begged, glancing between her 'nephew' and his boyfriend, "are you sure I can interest you?"

" _Lexi_ ," TK eyed her, stressing her name, "Carlos and I play for the same team. I don't think he's interested in switch-hitting."

"Well, if you ever change your mind, call me," she grinned at him, "see you in there," she waved at them and continued to walk into the building.

"I'm sorry," TK blurted out once she was out of earshot, "I know you probably could have defended yourself, but she's..."

"Your aunt," Carlos shook his head to clear the surprise from his mind of what had just happened, "I did not expect that."

"I forgot about her. She's a lot. The baby of the Strand family. She's not even like ten years older than I am, so she's more like my cousin than my aunt, but yeah, sorry your first official introduction to the extended Strand family was with her," TK sighed, kissing his lips.

Carlos returned his kiss and smiled, relaxing a little more as they spoke, "it's okay. I'm sure at least one of my sisters will flirt with you when they meet you, so it's not much different," he admitted, "so I know now, and let's go, we shouldn't keep your grandparents waiting."

"Alright," TK reluctantly pulled away and took his hand in his, lacing their fingers together as they continued towards the building.

The door was propped open and once inside the former home, turned into an event hall, it was abuzz with people of all ages from the Strand family. A few little kids were running around and some adults were mingling through the various rooms as TK surveyed their surroundings. Landing his eyes on a large table stacked with gifts, he took the gift from Carlos' hands and went to put it on the table, before he grabbed his boyfriend's hand again and guided him towards the outside area where more people seemed to be. Scanning the crowd, he finally found his grandparents and guided Carlos towards them.

Sylvia and Samuel Strand were sitting at a table in the shade, chatting with someone who stepped away when he and Carlos walked up, "hey, Grandma, Grandpa."

"Tyler!" The older woman gasped and jumped up as fast as she could to wrap her arms around him, "you made it!" She pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I was so excited to hear you'd be joining us, but I admit I was confused as to who Carlos was that your dad RSVP'd for," her eyes turned to look at the young man next to her grandson and smiled brighter, leaning into TK, "I already like him," she winked.

"Grandma," TK blushed, "this is Carlos, my boyfriend. Carlos, this is my Grandma Sylvia and my Grandpa Samuel."

"It's wonderful to meet you, Mr. and Mrs. Strand," Carlos started, extending his hand to them.

"Oh, no, I'm not a handshaker, I'm a hugger," she motioned towards herself and stepped forward, hugging the young man next to him, "and please, no need to be so formal. Just call us Sylvia and Samuel, or since you're here with my grandson _and_ my son RSVP'd for you, he must approve of your relationship, so you can call us grandma and grandpa."

As Sylvia was greeting Carlos, TK slipped around her to hug his grandpa, "hey grandpa, good to see you."

"Yeah, I still have a few years left in the tank," he laughed, as they pulled apart, "your boyfriend, huh? Left the old man at home?"

"Don't ever let dad hear you call him an old man," TK warned, reaching out for Carlos' hand, "and meet Carlos."

Carlos and Samuel shook hands and he looked between them, "pleasure to meet you and thank you for letting me join in today."

"The more the merrier," Sylvia smiled, motioning to the chairs near them, "sit down, tell us how you're doing. How long are you here?"

"I'm more concerned about his health right now," Samuel looked at his grandson, "how are you doing?"

"I'm okay," TK assured them, as Sylvia reached out to take his hand in hers, "really. My shoulder doesn't hurt that much anymore, except when someone hugs me too tight and I see my doctor Monday to hopefully get cleared for working out so I can get back to work."

"Oh, after all of that you're going back to being a firefighter? It's such a dangerous job. It's as dangerous, or more than a police officer," she sighed, "I can't imagine you getting hurt again."

Carlos couldn't help a slight chuckle escape his lips at the police comment, but chose to keep quiet about that, "it's my understanding that this was an isolated accident, because of the nature of the call. Firefighters are not usually put into situations where they could be shot at," he offered, hoping that would ease her worry a little.

"He's smart," Samuel motioned to Carlos, "what are you, kid? A lawyer?"

"Not exactly," Carlos bit his lip, "I did do criminal justice, but I chose to go the law enforcement route. I went to the police academy out of school and am now a police officer in Austin."

Though TK didn't know that detail, he did his best to hide his surprise as he talked with his grandparents and smiled at his boyfriend proudly.

Sylvia noticed the look between them and wanted to know a lot more about them, but she also knew there was a lot of family around who would like to catch up with him, too, so she mentioned around, "that sounds like a wonderful story I can't wait to hear, but you should go introduce your boyfriend to the rest of the family and we can talk later. Please don't be a stranger and I'm sure you're only here a few days, but you can visit. I'll make my son give you time off if it means I get to spend some time with you."

TK laughed lightly at her suggestion and nodded, "okay, I'll let him know that," he smiled and decided to take the hint from her, " _the sooner we mingle, the sooner we can leave,_ " he told himself as he stood up, "we'll chat later and we'll definitely visit again," he promised, before holding out his hand to his boyfriend.

Carlos took the offered hand and stood up with his boyfriend, "nice meeting you both, and I look forward to getting to know more about you in the future."

~*~

Over the next little while, TK led his boyfriend around the large family gathering, greeting relatives and chatting with them briefly, before being interrupted by someone else who wanted to say 'hi'. Everyone seemed to be very warm and welcoming to Carlos and some of TK's younger female relatives couldn't help being a little flirty towards him, even though he'd been introduced as his boyfriend. Thankfully no one had been as forward as Lexi, one of two family members that TK did his best to avoid, along with Roger, his 'ex' uncle and not the most ideal person to be around.

After weaving inside and outside, munching on snacks and non-alcoholic drinks throughout the afternoon, one of Owen's sisters produced a huge box of t-shirts she'd ordered for the whole family and all the guests. She wanted to get a huge family photo with everyone wearing the shirts before anyone decided to leave.

"This is perfect," TK muttered, his aunt having handed him three shirts, one for Owen, one for himself and one for Carlos, "as soon as the picture is over, we can leave."

"Are you sure? You've hardly spent time with your grandparents," Carlos admitted, looking at the shirt in his hands, "I'm not, um... Isn't this for the family?" He wondered, unsure what this was meaning.

"You're part of my family, as far as I'm concerned, so just put it on. Besides, then you can literally say you went to the reunion and all you got was this lousy t-shirt," TK laughed, carefully slipping it on over his button-up shirt so he didn't mess up his hair.

Reluctantly, Carlos put the shirt on over his polo shirt and let TK drag him over to the large group forming near his grandparents, "oh, I'll wear it, but I'm not getting into the picture," Carlos muttered, literally digging his heels into the sand.

"You're wearing the shirt, you'll be in the photo," TK chuckled, tugging at him once more.

The obligatory family photo was taken of the large group, several different versions done, so at least one might turn out and once everyone began to scatter, TK moved towards his grandparents, "hey, grandma, grandpa," he greeted them again.

"Tyler," Sylvia smiled joyfully as she stood to wrap her arms around him, pulling Carlos into their hug as well, "I'm so glad you boys were able to come. Make sure you take a picture of your dad in that shirt and send it to me," she pointed to the extra t-shirt TK had in his hand.

"Oh, I will definitely try, but you know dad," TK laughed, knowing his dad would definitely not want to do that.

"If he gives you any trouble, you call me. I'll tell him to do it and he can't say no to me," she winked at him, "Carlos, have you enjoyed yourself? Has everyone been on their best behavior?"

"Yes ma'am... Er, Sylvia. Thank you again for letting me join you all," he smiled, unsure how TK would break the news that they were leaving.

"Don't be a stranger. Next time Owen and Tyler visit, you should come along," she patted his shoulder as she retook her seat.

"That can definitely be arranged, if he can get the time off," TK promised, "look, so, I know we've only been here a few hours, but we actually need to get going. We leave in the morning and Evan is off work soon and we're going to meet to catch up before we leave," he explained.

"Evan? Evan Buckley?" She gasped, "I haven't seen that boy in years! How is he?"

"He's doing alright; he's a firefighter here in town," TK told her, knowing this might be an easy exit since she always did like Buck.

"He's here in town?" Her eyes widened in surprise as a grin grew, "well you have to tell him to call his grandma! I had no idea he was so close!"

"Neither did I. We bumped into each other yesterday while he was working and tried to catch up, but it was short. Tonight he has a little more time. I'll be sure to give him your number and tell him to call," he assured her.

"You boys go have fun catching up and have a safe trip home," Samuel chimed in before his wife could say anything else.

Carlos nodded at the older Strand, "thank you, sir... Samuel," he smiled at the slip up again.

"If you don't go now, you're not going to get out of here, so run," Samuel added, motioning to a side gate that went to the front without going through the house, "I've had my eye on it all day and I'm hoping to slip out soon myself," he laughed.

TK and Carlos shared a smirk and watched Sylvia smack her husband playfully, "stop that. It's our party. We're staying," she told him, "but yes, it's a lot going on, so I totally understand. Thank you for coming and bringing your lovely boyfriend along. Maybe the next time we see him, he'll be a little _more_ than a boyfriend?"

"Grandma!" TK gasped, his cheeks deepening the shade of red they already were, "we just started dating!"

Sylvia shrugged, "a grandma can hope, can't she?"

~*~

Grabbing a cousin walking by, TK asked them to take a photo of his grandparents with him and Carlos, before the young couple snuck out the side gate to get to the parking lot. Back at their car, they returned to their hotel and once finally back in the safety of their hotel room, TK plopped down on their freshly made bed and spread out to relax.

"You don't look very comfortable there," Carlos laughed lightly as he tugged the Strand family t-shirt off of himself and tossed it towards his luggage he knew he'd have to pack up that night.

Sitting up on his elbows, TK looked at his boyfriend, "why'd you stop with that one? Shouldn't you be taking the other one off, too?"

"And why would I do that?" Carlos wondered, moving closer to the bed and pausing just out of his reach, "don't you have an evening to plan yet?"

"We're meeting Buck and possibly Eddie at a restaurant later and we'll figure out where we'll go from there. Buck and I messaged back and forth just after we got to the party," TK explained, sitting up to reach out and slip his index fingers into Carlos' belt loops, "baby, did you forget we had a guest here last night?"

"We did?" Carlos toyed with him, "I thought Buck was family; not a guest."

"Ugh," TK sighed, "why do you have to be so difficult!?"

"Me? I'm not being difficult," the grin on Carlos' lips told him he was continuing to play with him, "you could just use your words," he reached out to rest his hands on TK's shoulders, "as much as I like you, I can't read your mind."

"Oh you can read my mind," TK stood up to come face to face with him, "you know exactly what I want, but you're playing hard to get," he huffed, nudging at him playfully, "we do have a couch in here and Buck didn't seem to have a problem sleeping on it; would you like to find out tonight?"

"Oh no," Carlos shook his head, moving to wrap his arms around TK's waist and lifted him off the floor as he pressed a kiss to his lips, "not a chance. It's our last night alone and I want to spend it right here with you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N3: We hoped you all enjoyed! Let us know what you think! We’ve got a lot of things planned for the next few chapters, so stay tuned! Thank you for all the support and comments! We appreciate them and are reading them, even if we’re unable to respond all the time. They definitely are keeping us motivated!


	6. The Start Of Understanding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from 911: Lone Star episode 1x01 - ‘Pilot’ - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

~*~

Having only been covering through the afternoon for someone, Buck was able to get off at five that evening. Knowing he'd be going out, he'd brought along a change of clothes and put them on after his shower, getting ready for his time out with friends.

He'd messaged back and forth with TK a little that day to decide where they'd be meeting for dinner and his younger friend was expecting Eddie to join them. Buck played along, but did say he wasn't sure because of the disagreement they'd had that morning. TK told him to 'make up and bring him', and Buck definitely did want to confront his friend to figure out what was going on between them, fix it to move on, so he could have some fun with family that night.

**Buck:** Hey, just now ready to leave the station. Going to Eddie's to figure this out, so probably will be running a little late. See you closer to six-thirty. Hopefully Eddie will come along, but if he doesn't it's because we didn't work things out and I don't know if I want to talk about it yet.

**TK:** Sounds good and see you then! I'm sure you guys will work it out!

" _Well, I'm glad someone is confident,_ " Buck thought as he pocketed his phone, zipped up his duffel, slung it over his shoulder and headed out to his Jeep. " _Not sure what I'll do if we don't figure this out. He's my best friend and whatever his problem is, I hope I can fix it._ "

The drive to Eddie's didn't take too long and Buck was glad to see his truck sitting in the driveway, " _well, he's at least home. Christoper should be at Hen's tonight, so hopefully Eddie and I can talk without him hearing,_ " Buck told himself as he climbed out of his Jeep after parking along the street and made the short trek up to Eddie's porch. With a final deep breath, he reached up and knocked three times on the door.

~*~

Eddie had done his best to hide his emotions from his son that afternoon, but was thankful when Karen came over to get Chris for his sleepover at their house with Denny and Harry. He needed some time to clear his head and hoped sitting down and watching some mindless TV would do just that.

He'd just sat down with a bowl of popcorn and his first beer of the night when he heard the heavy knocks on the door. " _Ah, come on. Who's that?_ " He sighed, grabbing his phone to see if he'd missed a message from Hen or Karen about Christopher and seeing none, he moved through the house to the door and inwardly groaned when he saw the reason for his sour mood. " _Come on, pull yourself together. He's your best friend and you can't let this linger. If anything, it'll prove you've learned something from all those counseling appointments._ " Eddie gathered his thoughts and with a final calming breath, he pulled the door open and stared at Buck, "hey," he greeted, leaning against the door a little, "how was your shift?"

"Really? That's what you are going to ask?" Buck spat as he tried to hold his anger in. He hadn't realized he got more upset the closer to Eddie's he was. "What the hell is wrong with you? I really thought that we had gotten to a point where we could use words instead of throwing hissy fits like this," Buck finished.

Eddie couldn't help himself be pulled back in shock for a moment, but sensing his anger and not wanting to have an argument in the front of his house with nosey neighbors, he reached out, fisted his hand in Buck's shirt and pulled him into the house, "I'm not throwing a hissy fit! You're doing that all by yourself!" Eddie snapped, slamming the door behind them.

"Get a fucking grip on yourself. You refuse to talk to me, or give me the time of day since my last day off," Buck angrily explained. "Didn't realize I had to run my plans for my day off by you."

" _He has a point,_ " Eddie thought, eyeing his friend and then sighed, "you don't," he quickly told him, "I just... I saw..." Running a hand through his hair, he knew he had to just come out, "I saw the pictures and how close you guys were acting. It's hard to believe you two didn't have something going on and I got jealous, because it seemed like you kept something big from me and I let that frustration come out this morning. I'm sorry."

"Seriously? You were jealous?" Buck gasped, wanting to laugh but knowing it would not be appropriate. With a sigh he continued, "TK and I will always have history. He and Owen were there when I had _no one_ , not even Maddie. _And_ I've only been open about being bi for a short time and TK was the one who figured it out, before even I realized it! After I realized he was right, we've been open about ourselves with each other, yes, but I have never had feelings for TK, nor will I. He's my brother."

Letting Buck's words sink in, he finally felt like it was the truth and not just avoiding a bigger conversation, "I get that, now," Eddie ran his hands over his face and leaned against the wall near him, "and I know you're allowed to have other best friends. I selfishly got used to it just being us and I kinda didn't want to share that, but that's not fair to you. And," Eddie paused, biting his lip, "I'm also pissed at myself, too."

"TK was my best friend years ago, and while he will always hold that title," Buck started, " _you_ know me better than TK ever has. He knows my history, but you've been there through the...interesting up and down times I've been through recently." Buck knew he wanted to say more; he just couldn't find the right words. "And you don't see Bobby getting jealous over me talking about Owen being like another dad to me, do you? And beside the jealous streak you apparently have, what are you angry with yourself about?"

"Because I was being a hypocrite. I was pissed at you for not trusting me to tell me you're bi, yet I haven't had the guts to do it myself. Buck, I'm bi and I've known for a long time, but Shannon and I were high school sweethearts and then we had Chris. She knew I was, but I never acted on it, because I was committed to her and our family. I also couldn't be out as bi in the military, or I'd get kicked out, so I had to hide that side of myself, even after we split up... When she died... I realized I can't look at women the same way anymore. Not without comparing them to her. It's a long answer, but I think that's why I got the most upset. I saw you with TK, how close you were and I made assumptions I shouldn't have, even after you guys told me they weren't true. I got jealous and then mad at myself for not being open with you, but I took it out on you for not trusting me. I hope that makes sense, because it doesn't to me and I haven't even started drinking yet," Eddie explained, feeling his cheeks flush when he realized he'd finally shared that part of him with someone that wasn't Shannon.

Buck couldn't help the smirk grow on his cheeks as he stepped forward and rested his hand on his best friend's shoulder, "I'm glad you told me and it's obvious we're both dumb asses who pick the worst time to share big news with each other," he admitted, then motioned to the sweatpants Eddie currently had on, "and we can totally continue this conversation when we're not late for dinner with TK and Carlos, so you have to go change."

~*~

"It's about time you guys got here! I was wondering if we'd have to start a fire and call the 118 down to make sure you guys got here in a reasonable amount of time," TK announced, when Buck and Eddie finally walked towards the table he and Carlos were sitting at.

Buck laughed lightly as he and Eddie took their seats across from the other two, "sorry, we were talking."

"You guys alright?" TK asked, tone hopeful, glancing between the two.

"We'll get there," Eddie replied simply, "long story."

"Definitely nothing we need to talk about tonight. Tonight's about getting to know new friends and reconnecting with old ones," Buck smiled at TK.

"Wait a second! Who are you calling old?" TK huffed, crossing his arms over his chest and sitting back in his seat with a pout.

"Obviously not you, _cariño_ ," Carlos laughed lightly.

"Evan, how comfortable was the couch in the hotel room last night? Carlos is probably going to be sleeping on it tonight," TK retorted, glaring at his boyfriend.

"I don't know, that's probably why my leg is a little achy today or it could be the ladder truck that crushed it, not sure," Buck smirked, "but he's shorter than I am, so it'll probably be okay."

Carlos opened his mouth to respond, but at the glare from TK, he bit his lip to keep quiet, deciding he should stay out of that for now.

"Anyway, how was the Strand family reunion?" Buck wondered, looking back at TK.

"I'm supposed to tell you to call your Grandma," TK relayed the message from his grandmother so he wouldn't forget. "I swear she loves you more than some of her actual grandchildren."

"Hey now, she loves you, too," Buck retorted, "but I did take her to a few places in the city when Owen was working and you were still in school, so I got brownie points there," he shrugged, "I didn't want to intrude on your family any more than necessary and honestly, I did my best to keep away from Alexia as much as possible."

"Who's Alexia?" Eddie wondered, but seeing Carlos' cheeks flushed and shaking his head 'no' he was unsure why he was doing that, "so, not a good topic?"

"Apparently she only wants to go by 'Lexi' now," TK started, turning to Carlos and Eddie, "and she's the baby of the Strand clan. She's my aunt, but isn't even ten years older than I am, so she hates it when I call her that. Anyway, she loves younger guys and was flirty with Carlos even after she knew he was my boyfriend... She hasn't changed much since Evan was around."

"How many adopted grandparents and parents do you have now Buck?" Eddie wondered aloud with a hint of humor is his voice trying to get the topic away from 'Lexi.' "I guess you're just really good at charming the older generation...I mean _Abby..._ "

"Who is this Abby everyone keeps teasing you about?" TK finally asked, looking at his best friend.

"Athena mentioned her to me, too," Carlos added.

"Wait, you had a conversation with Athena since yesterday?" Buck gasped, "what did she tell you?"

"Not much and she was at the conference like I was. We had lunch together, but she mentioned you've grown a lot since you joined the 118 and Abby had a lot to do with that first kick in the pants, so to speak," Carlos shrugged.

"I am going to ask more details on that conversation later, because Athena has some serious blackmail material on me," Buck started.

"Like stealing the firetruck for hookups?" Carlos grinned, hearing TK laugh beside him.

"Abby was...well you know the incident where I choked on bread? Yeah, that was my first date with her," Buck began. "She was a 911 dispatcher, we started off by talking for a while on the phone. I kind of refused to meet up with her for a little bit because of my character flaws. I fell hard for her, I'm not sure she returned the sentiment as much but she was my first serious relationship that was not based solely on sex. Oh and she was 20 years older than me...She left because she needed to do the whole 'eat, pray, love' thing after her mom died." Buck bit his lip and sighed, "the longer she was gone, the more I realized she wasn't coming back, so after about six months of living in her place, I crashed on Maddie's floor for a few months before I got my own place. I've never really had any true closure with that, but I'm pretty sure she's not coming back to a relationship with me and that's okay."

"Her loss is my gain," Eddie smiled into his water glass as he took a drink, suppressing a laugh or anything else he could have said.

Carlos and TK exchanged curious glances with each other, before looking at the shocked expression on Buck's face, neither knowing what to really say to that.

"Oh, um, okay," Buck cleared his throat, inwardly grinning at the comment, knowing the response he'd like to have would be frowned upon in public. He does not need Athena arresting him and Eddie for public indecency.

"Wow, I'm not sure I've ever seen you speechless before," TK laughed, looking at his long time friend, "you okay in there Evan?"

"Huh?" Buck took his eyes from glancing at Eddie and turned back to TK, "what?"

Realizing Buck hadn't heard him and not wanting to repeat it, TK decided to change the subject, "alrighty, so we're getting close to finishing dinner," he motioned to their half eaten plates of food, "so after here, where are we going? Ideas? I'm thinking of drinks for you guys and dancing somewhere."

~*~

Buck and TK quickly jumped into looking online for clubs in the area they could go to, which gave Carlos and Eddie a few moments to have a conversation between themselves. Before they'd gotten more into details of where they'd grown up - Eddie in El Paso and Carlos in San Antonio, TK announced they'd found a gay-friendly club to go and then he and Buck began arguing over who was paying the bill for dinner.

"Let me cover it," Buck replied, reaching for the small black folder their server had given them with a receipt for the whole table, "I'm not letting you put alcohol on your card."

With a sigh, TK handed over the folder and nodded, "fine, but when you guys visit Austin, dinner's on me," he told them, appreciating his friend looking out for him.

Buck slipped his card into the folder and handed it back to the server when she came by, "so, if you're up for it, because I know we'll probably have something to drink at the club," Buck eyed TK, "would you mind being our designated driver?"

"Not at all," TK replied, shrugging, "and before you ask, it doesn't bother me if you guys drink in front of me. I just choose not to," he added as he turned to look at his boyfriend, "seriously, if you want to drink, don't let me stop you."

Carlos nodded, "alright, but I'm still not going to drink a lot. We leave tomorrow and I don't want to be hung over."

"Good," TK smiled and looked back at Buck and Eddie, "did you drive here separately or together?"

"Together," both Eddie and Buck said at the same time, causing the two men to share a glance with each other, their cheeks flushing.

Biting his lip so he didn't outwardly laugh, TK nodded calmly, "so, if one of your vehicles is at Eddie's, why don't we follow you to his house and drop off your car before going to the club."

~*~

At TK's suggestion, the guys finished up at the restaurant and soon TK and Carlos were following Buck and Eddie back to Eddie's house. Buck pulled up along the street in front of the house, while TK pulled into the driveway behind the large silver pick-up. It only took a few moments for Buck and Eddie to lock up the jeep and climb into the backseat of the rental car, "nice truck, Eddie," Carlos noted as he looked it over, "did you just get that?"

"Not really. Maybe six months ago," Eddie replied, "thanks. I kinda regret it, cause it's a gas guzzler, but I'm stuck with it for now."

"Are we compensating for something?" TK wondered, turning to look at Eddie as he and Buck got settled into their seats, though he didn't miss the deep flush growing on his best friend's cheeks, "something wrong Evan?"

"Uh...um...nope," Buck found himself tripping over words and 'accidentally' kneeing the back of the driver's seat.

"Ow man..." TK groaned, "do you wanna walk? Carlos and Eddie can stay; you can meet us there."

"Be nice, babe," Carlos warned, eyeing him and then glancing at Eddie, "and everyone knows that things are always bigger in Texas. _Trucks_ included," Carlos smirked, "owning a truck or SUV is like a right of passage for any native Texan."

"The Texan in me must be strong, even while here in LA," Eddie laughed. "Hey, Buck are you sure are alright over there? You've been pretty quiet."

"Yep. I'm good. Canwetalkaboutsomethingelse?" Buck rushed out, not wanting to have the focus on him for certain reasons.

The other three men let out an echoing laugh in the car as TK backed out of the driveway, "bro, you should see your face right now."

"Nope, rather not," Buck shook his head, purposely turning to look out the window to avoid eye contact with anyone, while his brain short circuited with thoughts he'd been trying to suppress.

"Alright, while Evan gets his brain back to normal," TK turned his head back to the GPS as they began the drive towards the club, "Eddie, how long did you say you've been at the 118?" He wondered, trying to get to know his best friend's other 'best friend'.

"Almost two years," Eddie replied simply, turning his focus on TK and Carlos in the front seat.

"What made you want to be a firefighter?" TK asked curiously.

"Well, I'd been in the Army for a while as a combat medic and when I got out and my wife left me and Christoper, I knew that I could be a paramedic and I don't mind the action, since I was used to it in combat, so I signed up for several fire academies and LA was one of the first ones to accept me, so we moved here. Best decision we could have made," he smiled, looking out the window at the passing city, "what made you want to be one?"

"At first it was because my dad had been one all my life and the more my mom didn't want me around it, the more I wanted to be one. I went to the academy just out of high school and have been one ever since. Since it wasn't what I'd really chosen for myself, just kinda did it because dad was, I won't deny that about a month ago, just after I was shot, I had a quarter-life crisis and doubted I was in the right line of work. Then something happened that made me see I was made for this, so I'm sticking to it and Texas, because I met this one," he motioned to Carlos, "and finally my life wasn't so gray anymore."

"So Carlos spiced up your life, huh?" Buck wondered, finally coming back to Earth, and leaned forward in his seat as far as his belt would let him, "how hot are we talking? Jalapeño? Serrano? Habanero? Ghost pepper? Carolina Reaper?"

"Dude, do you realize the damage a Carolina Reaper can do on your body?" Eddie asked, not really looking for someone to answer.

"One of my first calls in Austin was because some dumbass put a full Carolina Reaper into a taco, intending it to be his cousin's. Nope, the dumbass ended up with it and a serious esophageal spasm and blood everywhere..." TK recalled, "it was pretty impressive, but seriously karma's a bitch."

"Damn," Carlos glanced at TK, "you guys got that call? I heard about it from Michelle."

"Yeah, it was interesting. I'd never seen that before, and I learned quickly that I will never eat one. And I don't even know how much my body could handle. I don't know the first thing about eating spicy food," TK explained.

"Carlos, you're holding out on him," Eddie leaned forward and patted the younger officer on his shoulder, "you gotta teach the New York city boy about Texas heat."

"Eddie, don't I know it. But you also need to teach your city boy about the Texas heat, and I'm not just talking about the food," Carlos shot back jokingly.

TK glanced back at Buck in the back seat to see if he'd been paying attention and at the continued flush on his cheeks, he smirked, "well, there's no time like the present to get started."

"What is this? Pick on Buck night? Again?" Buck groaned.

"Well, if you can dish it out, you need to learn how to take it, bro," TK responded, laughing lightly as he made a final turn into the parking lot down the street from the club they were going to.

"Alright who is gonna give this dork that crash course?" Eddie laughed patting Buck on the shoulder.

Leaving the conversation for the moment as the four men climbed out of the car, they all made the the short walk to the club and paused outside when they saw the sign that said 'Kick Your Boots Up - Country Theme Night' and the two Texans groaned a little, "it's kinda hard to teach how to take smack talk, but I can definitely teach him how to line dance," Carlos smirked, glancing at Eddie.

"Oh yes! He's a great teacher!" TK confirmed, then paused, "wait, don't teach him _everything_ ," he added, his own cheeks flushing.

"Trust me, cariño, I'll save _that_ for you," Carlos promised with a wink.

Buck moved towards Carlos and slipped an arm around his shoulders, "at least someone plans to be nice to me tonight," he turned to glare at TK and Eddie, "maybe he'll even buy me a drink."

TK crossed his arms and returned his best friend's glare, "I don't _share_. You know this."

"You know I don't want your guy, I have my eye on _someone_ else," Buck laughed. "Okay, teacher, show me how to line dance!"

~*~

The guys easily got into the club and since it was still early in the evening, it wasn't extremely busy, but the loud country music being played by the DJ had a decent sized crowd on the dance floor attempting to line dance. They first moved through the building to find a table overlooking the dance floor, which Buck and Carlos immediately moved towards, leaving TK and Eddie to themselves.

"Okay, Eddie, spill," TK joked. "I saw how close you guys were last night. And I can see how well you two know each other. What exactly is _this_?" TK motioned between Eddie and where Buck was currently attempting to follow Carlos' instructions on the dance floor.

"Honestly, I wish I could give you a clear answer," Eddie admitted. "Buck has been a constant in both my life and my son's since the day I joined the 118. The feelings have just evolved from friendship to something more."

TK contemplated his response, his eyes landing on Carlos, easily following along to the dance steps for the song, "I'm no expert, and I've been through a lot, but maybe it's time to finally name what that something is," he offered softly, "there's definitely something there and we're firefighters," he bit his lip, deciding to leave the rest unsaid, knowing that Eddie would get the message. 

"There's something there. It's just..." Eddie started as he struggled to find the words. 

"How is he with your son?" TK wondered, having not met Christopher to see them interact.

"He's amazing! He calls him 'His Buck' and Buck..." Eddie smiled at the goofy grin his best friend had on his face at the moment, "Buck risked his life for him, there is literally nothing he wouldn't do for Christopher and I think that's what has made me fall for him even more."

TK smiled, knowing his best friend loved kids, so that wasn't a surprise, "then what's the problem? I know you're scared and I'm sure it would be an adjustment, but I can guarantee that he's only got eyes for you and a family with you and Chris."

As he took in the words that TK was saying, his gaze drifted over to his best friend attempting to line dance. The guy did not have any rhythm when it came to dancing. "I am going to have to teach him some rhythm though, because damn he is bad." 

"Just add that to your honey-do list," TK winked at him, as he turned to look at where they'd been but Carlos and Buck were no longer standing there, "where'd they go?"

Eddie and TK quickly began to glance around, curious where they'd wandered off to, but then they noticed them leaning on the bar, "looks like they're getting drinks," Eddie motioned over to them, "maybe if we get some alcohol in him, Buck might get some moves."

"Not likely," TK shook his head, "he has two left feet."

"He's always been like that? Damn..." Eddie laughed.

TK noticed they were walking back, so he leaned towards Eddie, "yeah, but it could be that he's just never had the _right_ teacher," he said quickly, before the guys returned, Carlos setting a glass of water with lemon on the table in front of him, "thanks, baby."

Carlos pressed a kiss to his forehead, "no problem," he assured him, taking a swig of his beer as he sat down next to TK.

Buck placed a bottle of beer in front of Eddie and took his seat beside him, "that's not as easy as it looks," he muttered, motioning to the dance floor.

"You just haven't had the right teacher," Eddie joked as Buck sat next to him.

"Maybe not," Buck agreed, shrugging his shoulder as he nursed his beer, "maybe you should show me."

"After my beer, I'd be glad to," he smiled, brushing his shoulder against Buck's, "I'm sure Carlos and TK could use a few minutes alone, anyway."

TK flushed a little and wrapped his hands around his boyfriend's arm, his chin moving to rest on his shoulder, "as long as we're together, I'm good. When we get back to Texas we don't live together, so we won't see each other as much."

"So move in," Buck responded easily.

"After everything that happened, dad and I had a deal that I'd live with him so he could keep an eye on me. Maybe one day, though," he looked at Carlos, as if telling him that, "something we'd all have to talk about, but we just got together, and we are trying to take things kinda slow."

Carlos nodded and leaned in, kissing TK gently, "and you know I'm not letting you go, so we'll figure it out."

~*~

While nursing their drinks, the four chatted about their lives as first responders, odd calls they'd had, close calls and other adventures they'd dealt with while working and as promised, when Eddie finished his beer he looked at Buck, "do you wanna dance?"

"Yeah," Buck smiled up at Eddie happily, surprised he was offering, but quickly jumped up to follow him to the dance floor.

"Oh, wow, did that just happen?" TK gasped, looking at his boyfriend.

"It did," Carlos nodded, "remember when I asked you that same question? And look at how far we've come. There's hope for them. We just have to let them work some things out and they'll get there," he explained, knowing TK was hopeful Buck and Eddie would get together.

"You're right," TK agreed, hearing the music shift into a slower song. He fully expected Buck and Eddie to return, but what shocked him was what they did on the dance floor instead.

~*~

Just a few feet away from their table, Eddie was standing behind Buck, his hands on Buck's hips, trying to guide him in the simple steps for the upbeat song that was playing. Buck was just starting to pick up on the right motion when the music changed into a slower ballad, and though normally Eddie would pull away and though he thought Buck was going to follow the others who were leaving the floor, Eddie gently tightened his grip on Buck's hips, "hey, maybe it'll be easier to show you when we can be closer," Eddie offered, trying to keep it casual, and hoped Buck wouldn't freak out.

"If that's just you trying to get closer, I am all for that," Buck replied, turning around in Eddie's arms to face him.

With their already close proximity, it was easy for Eddie to shift into the proper position to dance the two-step, the dance for the current song playing, and reached for Buck's left hand with his right, "put your other hand on my shoulder," Eddie explained as his other arm came to wrap around his body, resting his hand on Buck's back.

Buck did as instructed, noticing a few other couples doing the same thing and he did his best to relax, wanting to savor this moment, unsure how long it would last or if it would ever happen again, "like this?"

"Yeah, just follow me. Mirror what I do," Eddie called out over the music.

As Eddie stepped backward, Buck moved forward, and he felt a warmth radiating from the other man that he'd not noticed earlier. He also noticed a strong grip on his palm and his back as they moved with the music; a strong connection that seemed to keep him from stumbling if he moved with the wrong foot. Within a dozen steps, their feet were moving together and though he'd never been able to really dance, Buck smiled at finally some sort of dancing had clicked with him, "this is the first time I've ever been able to figure this out without stepping on someone's feet."

"Like it was said, you just needed the right teacher," Eddie offered, returning Buck's smile.

Buck relaxed a little as he tried to focus on the steps, wanting to get it right; wanting something to go right in his life and to remember every moment, hoping this was Eddie's way of starting the _conversation_ they needed to have, "I think you're right. Thanks, Eddie."

"No problem," he replied, squeezing Buck's hand in confirmation, before he noticed the song was coming to an end, "if you like dancing, we could, um, maybe come here again."

"I'd like that," Buck nodded, his heart jumping in excitement as he tried to contain himself, "I'm gonna need to practice. If Chimney and Maddie ever get married, I'm gonna have to dance with her and I don't want to embarass her or myself."

"I'll make sure that doesn't happen," Eddie promised, reluctantly pulling back from him to look at their friends, "but they're only here until tomorrow, so let's go back and hang out with them. We can," he took a deep breath and smiled, "we can plan to come back some time on our own."

Buck nodded at him, smiling at the suggestion, "that sounds like a plan and I'm really glad you guys are getting along. After this morning, I really thought... I really thought you'd not want to get to know them."

"I'm sorry about this morning, really, I am. It was totally uncalled for and I can see that you guys are just close, like we are," Eddie stepped back and held out his hand to Buck to take, "just don't want to lose you."

Taking Eddie's offered hand, Buck followed him back to the table, "I don't want to lose you either."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed it! We’ve got a lot of fun still to come, so don’t forget to subscribe so you know when we update! Thanks so much for reading and for all the support with kudos and comments! We’re so sorry we haven’t had a chance to respond much, but we are reading them and are very encouraged!


	7. Love Who You Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x11 - Seize The Day; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from 911: Lone Star episode 1x01 - ‘Pilot’ - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.  
>  _Italicized lyrics:_ quotes from ‘Love Who You Love’ by Rascal Flatts - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction. 
> 
> ~*~

TK and Carlos remained at their table, easily watching their friends on the dance floor, while just soaking up some time together, too. TK was currently leaning against Carlos, his arms wrapped around Carlos' bicep, while his head was resting on his shoulder. Carlos was nursing his beer with his free hand, trying to go slow so he didn't overdo it.

The movement of their friends from the dance floor caught their attention and TK grinned as they got closer to the table, "so, how was dancing?"

Buck and Eddie exchanged glances, their cheeks flushing more than they had been from dancing, as they reached the table. Their hands were still joined together and though they hadn't really talked about what that meant, it felt right, "it was great! I didn't fall on my face once," Buck chimed in, breaking the since first.

"Well, I've got your back, just like you've got mine," Eddie added as they retook their seats across from TK and Carlos.

"The best kind of teacher; much better than I could do," Carlos chimed in.

"Sorry Carlos, I guess cops don't have the right moves for me," Buck winked, a mischievous grin tugging at his lips.

"No worries there, man. LA firefighters got nothing on New York firefighters now livin' in Austin," Carlos shrugged, glancing at his boyfriend, "Captain Strand's a pretty cool guy."

"Ok...Ew," TK exclaimed, "I didn't realize you were dating me to get to my dad."

"Now, relax you two, Fire Captains only go after Police Sergeants from what we know, so you're safe there," Buck laughed.

"It's true," Eddie confirmed with a nod.

"Oh thank God!" TK sighed in relief, "you had me worried there for a second."

"No need to worry, Tiger, Papi only has eyes for you," Carlos promised, leaning in and pressing a kiss to his lips.

The flush on TK's cheeks grew as he turned his head a little so Buck and Eddie couldn't see him, and Eddie laughed at their antics, "now, now, save it for the hotel room. Athena would not be happy if we needed to bail you out of jail for public indecency."

"He's already had me in handcuffs once at the police station, so let's not go there," TK begged.

"Excuse me, what?" Buck exclaimed, thankful he hadn't taken a swig of his beer yet.

"Yeah, Tyler Kennedy, why don't you tell him how I learned your full name," Carlos winked.

He'd kinda left that story out because he knew Buck would freak, but TK went on to quickly explain his stupid decision to go to a seedy bar on the outskirts of town, where he'd gotten into a fight, was arrested and landed himself handcuffed to Carlos' desk one night, "I know it was stupid and I was pissed. Thankfully between the guys not talking and me being sober, any charges were dropped."

Though Buck couldn't help be pissed that TK had done something like that, he turned to glare at his other best friend and patted him on the shoulder, squeezing it firmly, "Eddie's got a story like that, don't you? Except this one decided he'd get involved in street fighting."

"I was going through a phase," Eddie snapped, "are you still pissed about it."

"I'm pissed you didn't tell me and because it got so far that you almost killed a guy!" Buck retorted.

"Hello!" Carlos waved his hand in front of the two now starting to bicker, "just because this isn't my jurisdiction, doesn't mean I'm not a cop, so be very careful with what you say next. I can only let so much slide. Sorry guys."

Buck opened his mouth to say something, but then closed it, immediately wondering if the other cop in their lives knew and glanced at Eddie to see what he was going to say.

"I'm not doing it anymore," Eddie promised, "it was a phase that I'm very over and any charges were dropped."

"Wow, that is definitely not something I ever thought my best friends would have in common," Buck groaned, taking a swig of his beer.

TK smirked and held up his half-full water glass to Eddie, "here's to starting over."

"Sounds good to me," Eddie lifted his beer bottle to clink it against TK's glass, "and to more ways to embarrass Buck here."

"You guys are never allowed to be in the same room with Maddie!" Buck announced to the table, "nope, not happening. Between the three of you, the dirt you guys would have on me would fill Eddie's new truck!"

Casually pulling out his phone, "plans for next trip," he muttered, pretending to type into his phone, "hang out with Maddie and Eddie without Evan."

"We can go out to dinner," Carlos offered, "I'm sure you have some good blackmail on TK that you could share with me."

Buck grinned at that suggestion, "it's a date!"

~*~

The four men continued to chat, teasing each other, and though some of them had only just met, they were carrying on as they'd been friends for years.

As the DJ shifted from an upbeat line dance song, to a slower one for couples, the opening guitar chords of a familiar song hit Carlos' ears and he glanced at his boyfriend, "wanna dance?" He wondered.

TK turned to look at him, "yeah. Thought you'd never ask," he grinned.

Carlos shifted off his seat and held out his hand to TK, as he stood up. Lacing their fingers together, the two walked onto the dance floor as the opening words of the Rascal Flatts song 'Love Who You Love' began, " _I should have stolen every moment, now there's a page with not enough on it, where we belong. I guess I'll never understand it, why do we take it all for granted, until it's gone? 'Cause then it's gone..._ "

Unsure what kind of dance they'd be doing, TK chose to follow Carlos, much like Buck had just done for Eddie. Easily fitting together, their bodies swayed to the first verse of the song. TK's left arm wrapped around Carlos' shoulders, while his right hand clasp securely in Carlos' left and he could feel the warmth and strength from his boyfriend's left hand on his lower back. In just a few steps, TK fell effortlessly into step with his boyfriend by the time the chorus began and he couldn't help focusing his mind on words being sung.

" _Love who you love, with all that you have and don't waste the time that flies so fast. Love who you love and say that you do. Hold on as tight as they'll let you... Love who you love..._ "

Carlos led his boyfriend around a small area of the dance floor, surprising himself when he began to even sing along to the words, the familiar song having so much more meaning now that he was in a relationship with someone he felt so strongly about and hoped the man in his arms would one day feel the same. He also hoped that their friends would be realizing the words to the song were only repeating what they'd been telling them all long.

Over the music, TK could tell his boyfriend was singing along and a smile tugged at his lips through the chorus as the true meaning of the song became clear to him. The words slowly chipping at the wall he'd built up to protect his heart from getting hurt again and by the end of the chorus, he did as the song said and shifted closer to Carlos, holding on tight. He didn't want to let go and in the back of his mind he hoped their other friends were figuring some things out, too.

" _Give all ya got like its your last day, your heart and soul before it's too late and pull 'em in, so close enough that they can feel it, with every single breath that you're breathin', breathe it in again and again..._ "

Carlos continued to sing along, easily leading his boyfriend through simple steps and even letting go enough to turn TK, before pulling him back to hold him. The two shared smiles and Carlos pressed a kiss to TK's lips as the chorus began to repeat, able to tell that TK had picked up on the message of the song and hoped he wasn't too scared by the meaning.

Sensing the song was coming to a close, TK shifted to snake his arms around Carlos' waist, kissing him once more, hoping to convey his feelings for him while his fear of loving someone again began to wash away. Once they broke from the kiss, TK pressed his forehead to Carlos' and smiled at him again, his eyes locking on familiar brown eyes, "I love you," he called out over the music, hoping he wouldn't have to repeat it, but he would gladly say it again.

When Carlos asked TK to dance to this song, he never expected to hear those words come from his boyfriend so soon; he knew he'd been hurt in the past and he'd gladly give him all the time he needed before he was comfortable saying those words or hearing them. Carlos couldn't help being shocked at TK's confession at first, but his own feelings never wavered, he'd had strong feelings for the young firefighter and he could confidently reply with the same affection he'd offered, "I love you, too, Tyler," he smiled, squeezing his boyfriend gently as the song came to a close.

~*~

As TK and Carlos had walked away, Buck and Eddie shifted to watch the two men on the dance floor, a comfortable silence settling over them as the song hit their ears. Neither were too familiar with the song, but could easily tell that Carlos knew it, by how focused he was on the man in his arms and his lips moving with the words.

By the end of the chorus, the two men looked at each other and were both trying to soak in the meaning of the song, "Buck, I..." Eddie started, unsure if the song was giving him the kick to speak up, or if the last few days of people drilling similar statements into his head had finally opened his eyes, "I don't know about you, but I feel like there's something deeper between us than just a friendship," he admitted, hoping he was speaking loud enough that Buck could hear him clearly over the music and when Buck's eyes widened slightly, he knew he'd heard him, "but this," he motioned between them, "can always be just a friendship if you're not... if you don't feel the same way."

Buck blinked in surprise at Eddie's revelation and a smile tugged at his lips, though his mind raced with questions, some concerns and definitely mutual feelings he wanted to share, "I... I definitely feel something deeper, too," he confirmed, eyeing him, "but I think we need to talk more about them before we, um," he took a deep breath, "before we move forward. We also need to think about Christopher. I don't want us to um, get into a spot where things don't work out and he suffers. I love that kid and would do anything for him and I don't want to hurt him, ever."

" _And leave it to this man to be thinking about my son more than I am at this moment. I definitely have fallen for him,_ " Eddie thought, smiling at Buck, "yeah, you're right. Chris is my number one, and he's gotta be okay with whatever we do."

"Agreed; he's mine, too," Buck smiled, lifting up his beer to Eddie.

Eddie picked his own bottle up and tapped the necks together, "deal."

~*~

"Think we should get back to the hotel?" Carlos wondered, glancing at their friends nearby.

TK followed his gaze and could see the close conversation they were having, "we should, because I really wanna have some fun with you tonight, but I'm gonna miss Buck and Eddie."

"We can always come back sometime," Carlos assured him, draping an arm around his shoulders as they walked back to the table, "or they could come to visit us. I'm sure your dad would love to see Buck and meet Eddie."

Letting another smile grow on his lips, TK nodded and easily slipped his arm around Carlos' waist, before leaning in to kiss him, "officer, I think you might have just solved the case."

"That's a good thing because there's a fire building that I may need _someone_ to put out," Carlos murmured, pressing a kiss to TK's cheek.

"I've got just the hose for it," TK winked before they reached the table.

"You guys look like you enjoyed yourselves," Buck noted, "and here I didn't think you could dance, Strand."

"I guess we both just needed the right teachers," TK retorted, reaching for his glass of water, "are you guys ready to head out? We still have to pack before we leave in the morning."

"That's alright. I could use some sleep. I didn't sleep well last night on shift," Eddie admitted, taking a final swig of his beer.

Buck nodded and finished his beer, "yeah, that's cool. Wish you could stay longer, but I'm glad we got some time to hang out while you were here."

"Me, too," TK smiled, as the two men stood up, Carlos dropping some cash on the table as a tip, "and we'll keep in touch and visit again. Maybe you can come out to visit us in Austin. Dad would definitely love to see you and show you around the new 126."

"I think that could be arranged," Buck smiled, "I definitely want to see dad, but hope he doesn't think I'd visit to ask for a job. I'm staying here in LA," he added with a grin as they walked towards the exit.

"And I'm staying in Austin," TK confirmed, leaning into Carlos, "so at least you know you'll always have family in Austin if you ever needed to get away for a little bit."

~*~

When they headed out into the dark night, Carlos draped an arm around TK's shoulders on their way back to the car. A few feet ahead of them, Buck and Eddie here walking side-by-side and with the way they were leaning into each other, TK couldn't tell if it was from the alcohol or if it was how they normally were. "You guys okay up there?" TK wondered.

"Yep, we're great," Buck nodded, turning back to look at them, "how's the future Mr. Officer Reyes?"

TK narrowed his eyes at his friend, but he couldn't help the flush growing on his cheeks at Buck's suggestion, though he knew at the moment it was just teasing, "shut up, Buckley or I'll tell Eddie what you did in college for some extra cash."

"Oh God," Carlos groaned, "do I have to have another conversation with you guys about having incriminating discussions around me?"

"Don't worry; it wasn't anything that would land me in jail. It was a legitimate job," Buck announced, "one that I swear I will never tell."

"Do I need to be worried?" Eddie asked, his eyes narrowed in concern, "like, why won't you share?" Reaching the car, TK unlocked the doors and once they all climbed in, Eddie looked at Buck, "well?"

"Worried, no," Buck promised, sighing as he shot daggers at TK, "I just don't want to talk about it. I did it to _meet_ people," he started and then looked at Carlos, "and not in _that_ way, either!"

"Maybe we should change the subject," Carlos suggested, "like, Tyler, do you know how to get back to Eddie's?"

"Nope, I just figured I'd drive around until someone gave me directions," TK laughed, glancing behind them to look at Eddie, who quickly rattled off the address and let Carlos put it into the GPS, "thanks. If we're going to change the subject, then it better be that we all need to exchange contact information. We gotta keep in touch."

"You already have my number," Buck smirked.

"That I do, but I need Eddie's. What if I find some embarrassing photo of you from our days in New York? I've gotta send it to _someone_ , and with the number of times you've gotten hurt, he should probably have mine for the next time you get hurt," TK explained casually, trying not to laugh lightly at the last part.

"So does that mean I get to have Buck's so he can send me embarrassing pictures and stories of you?" Carlos wondered.

"Yes, I can definitely do that!" Buck confirmed, reaching forward for Carlos to hand his phone over, "remember, bro, karma is a mean bitch," he smirked when he got Carlos' phone from him.

"I swear if you so much as tell him anything about senior homecoming, I'll pull this car over and you will be walking!" TK exclaimed.

"Whoa, now that's a story I must hear!" Carlos took his phone back when Buck had put his information in and then sent Buck a text so he could have his number, "what happened at homecoming?"

Eddie watched the tennis match between the three of them and couldn't help laughing to himself at how hilarious they three were being, " _now this is getting good!_ "

When the text from Carlos showed up in his phone, Buck quickly added his information in and then decided he wouldn't 'say' anything...out loud, but added four words to the message and sent it back.

 **Buck:** Homecoming King TK Strand

Carlos quickly got the message and read it over, then glanced back at Buck who was smirking. Trying to remain calm, because he didn't want to let on that he knew, he calmly responded to Buck's text.

 **Carlos:** 10-4

~*~

Settling into their drive back to Eddie's, the passengers made sure they'd all connected with each other through phone numbers and Facebook, and Buck passed on TK's information to Eddie so he'd have it and soon they were pulling back into the driveway at Eddie's.

Though they were just dropping the guys off, it would be the last time they saw each other before Carlos and TK returned to Austin the next day, so all of them climbed out to have a proper farewell. Eddie shook Carlos and TK's hands, Carlos also shaking Buck's, before the two men stepped away from the longtime friends to give them a moment together.

Buck stepped to TK and didn't even hesitate to wrap his arms around his younger friend, being careful not to hit his bad shoulder, "I'm so glad we reconnected, bro."

"Me, too, Evan," TK confirmed, returning his hug tightly, "don't be a stranger and call me for anything, day or night. Even if I don't answer right away, I will."

"Will do and same goes for me," Buck promised, leaning in a little further to whisper, "I'll keep you posted about me and Eddie, too."

TK smiled and nodded, "good. Take care of yourself and make a trip to Austin sometime soon."

"I'll see if I can get some time off," Buck nodded, "but in the meantime, take care of dad and heal up, so you can get back on the truck."

"I will," TK rested his hands on Buck's shoulders for a moment, squeezing gently as a promise to him, "we'll talk soon."

~*~

Watching TK and Carlos leave the house, Buck and Eddie waved at them before they disappeared down the street and Eddie cleared his throat, "come on, you can crash here tonight. Neither of us needs to be driving tonight," Eddie commented, motioning to the house.

Buck turned to follow his gaze and took a moment to gather his thoughts, "uh, are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Yeah, why not? You've crashed here before when you've had a few to drink," Eddie explained as he walked up towards the front of the house, "I know we've got a lot to think about and talk about, but we're both adults, and can manage to hold that conversation until we're both sober, right?"

"That sounds like a good plan to me," Buck nodded, shifting to follow Eddie up to the porch to the house, and once he'd opened the door they moved inside and locked it for the night, "thanks."

Eddie smiled at him, "no worries. That's what families are for."

~*~

The drive back to the hotel didn't take too long and once the couple was back in the privacy of the hotel room, TK wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, trying to lean in to kiss him, but Carlos turned his head away, so his kiss landed on his cheek, "hey, what's that for?"

"Let me brush my teeth," Carlos replied simply, "I don't want you to taste the beer."

"You...really?" TK's eyes widened in shock, "wow, I don't think anyone has ever done that for me."

"I respect your recovery Ty and I don't want to make you struggle," Carlos explained, moving away from his boyfriend to slip into the bathroom.

TK watched him move away and his heart swelled, falling more in love with the officer, " _how did I get so lucky?_ " TK wondered to himself, a grin growing on his lips. Moving to his suitcase to see what needed to be done before morning, he heard the water turn off and before he could tug at his own shirt to take it off, his boyfriend's arms snaked around his waist, "hey, let me," Carlos whispered, pressing a soft kiss at the base of his neck.

"Gee, babe, I think I know how to take my own clothes off," TK smirked, turning around to slip his own arms around his boyfriend's neck, "but, I suppose if you have something in mind, I won't object."

Carlos slipped his hands under the waistband of TK's shirt and easily lifted the soft material up, exposing his toned chest and the new scar on his left shoulder. TK lifted his arms and let him pull the shirt off all the way and then Carlos pressed a kiss to the pinkish scar, "I really hate that you have this," he murmured, gently brushing his lips along his shoulder, up to his neck until he could look at him in the eye, "if I could take it away I would."

"I know you would," TK assured him, closing the few inches of distance between them and stole the kiss he'd tried moments earlier for, "but let's not dwell on that tonight. I only have you alone for one more night and I don't want to spend it talking about my scar," he added, his own hands tugging at Carlos' shirt until he lifted his arms and let TK remove it and toss it to the floor.

"As you wish, _Your Majesty_ ," Carlos smirked, his eyes meeting TK's to see just how he'd react to this phrase.

Hearing the words from Carlos, TK took a moment to let them sink in, and then his lips pursed in a tight line, "I'm going to kill him!" He snapped, pulling back from his boyfriend to grab his phone, wanting to send an angry emoji or two to his _friend_.

Carlos reached for TK's phone before he could say anything he'd regret and tossed the phone into his bag, "no you're not, _mi amor_ ," Carlos told him, pulling him back, "because I don't want to use my cuffs on you for real."

A spark flashed over TK's eyes and though he wanted to dig for his phone and ream Buck a new one for sharing one of his high school secrets, he couldn't help the flush growing on his cheeks, "so you did bring cuffs with you?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~
> 
>  **Song note:** The _italicized song lyrics_ are from ‘Love Who You Love’ by Rascal Flatts! We both love this group and country music! We don’t own; we’re just borrowing them for this work of fiction.
> 
> A/N3: Hope you all enjoyed this chapter! We’ve sure been enjoying video chatting and writing it! While one of us was working on typing this chapter, the other chimed in while also going down Schitt’s Creek rabbit holes, LOL! We have had some adventures, and we’ve got more to come with this story and one-shots in the same universe!  
> A/N4: Thanks for reading and all the support with kudos and comments! We’re definitely encouraged by them even though we haven’t had a chance to respond to many!


	8. It Started On A Sunday

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x12 - Fools; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Head’s up! We’ve changed the spoilers to 911 episode 3x12 - Fools, due to the mention of something from that episode in this chapter!
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from 911 episode 3x03 - Searchers - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

Morning dawned through the living room windows, the rays hitting the couch Buck had crashed on. The homey couch was much more comfortable than the hotel couch he'd slept on in TK and Carlos' hotel room, but he'd never complain. He'd enjoyed the time with his friends and having places to 'crash' for whatever reason he needed it.

For Buck, the past few days had been a bit of a whirlwind: he'd reunited with an old friend, met his old friend's boyfriend and introduced Eddie to them, who quickly picked up on the feelings both men had been hiding, which led to him finally voicing his feelings for Eddie, and part of himself didn't believe it all was real, though the pounding through his head reminded them he was in real life and that left a smile on his face, " _definitely wasn't a dream!_ "

Remembering TK and Carlos were heading back to Austin that morning, Buck pulled his phone out to check to see if he had any messages from them and couldn't help laughing when he saw one.

**TK:** It's a good thing Carlos was with me last night, or Eddie would have woken up to a dead Buck mounted on his wall!

**Buck:** I swear, I told him nothing...

**TK:** BS and you know it! How else would he have known I was Homecoming King? Dude, that was an embarrassing time!

**Buck:** Somehow I don't think your boyfriend feels that way.

**TK:** Be careful what you text Carlos, or it won't be the right kind of mounted Buck Eddie will get. LOL

**Buck:** Dude, I got so much blackmail on you, this could go on for years!

**TK:** I have more on you! Don't forget 'borrowing' dad's 'Official Use Only' work truck to go flirt with the college girls.

**Buck:** If I remember correctly, I had a wingman!

**TK:** I just did the driving, you did the hooking up.

**Buck:** Liar! You were totally checking out the college dudes!

**TK:** I plead the fifth! Carlos and I are just checking out of the hotel and then off to the airport. Don't be a stranger!

~*~

Waking up to the warmth of the sun hitting his face, Eddie groaned and realized he didn't close his blinds the night before. Rolling over, he glanced at the clock to see it was a little after ten in the morning, " _wow, I must have been tired_." Pushing himself up, he rubbed his eyes and felt a dull headache from the bright sun shining in his face, and the remainder of the hangover he hadn't quite slept off yet.

Reaching for his phone he saw a text message from Hen that Athena would be dropping Christopher off about eleven since she's picking up Harry and wanted to make sure he'd be home. Sending a quick response that he would be, he set his phone down and stood up, moving towards his door and padded to the bathroom. Seeing the door was shut, he put his hand on the knob and pushed it open, freezing at the sight of Buck standing shirtless in the bathroom with wet hair.

"Good morning," Buck greeted, smirking at him, "do you guys not knock?"

Eddie blushed, "I didn't know you were in the bathroom. I didn't hear the shower."

"I move like a gazelle, very stealthy," Buck winked, eyeing the older man, "so, can I help you? Do you need anything?"

Laughing lightly, Eddie's cheeks continued to flush, "um, what I want and what I need to do are two different things," he muttered, "and Chris is gonna be home in about an hour, so I need a shower."

"Oh, perfect! I'm just done here. What are we going to do today? Maybe we can go to the zoo? Or 'something inland'," Buck thought out loud.

"Can we decide after I'm more awake and maybe have had some coffee?" Eddie hoped.

"Someone's not a morning person," the younger firefighter noted as he reached for a clean t-shirt he had hanging on the door.

"How long have you known me?" Eddie laughed lightly, "I never have been."

"True, but Chris is coming home! You should be excited!" Buck grinned, tugging on his t-shirt, before moving towards him and slipping past, but not before leaning in and whispering, "there are things I want to do, too, but Chris is number one right now."

~*~

The shower Eddie had expected to take easily shifted to a cold one when he tried to shake the thoughts he had and his curiosity of what Buck had on his mind. After his shower, Eddie got dressed and he and Buck had something to eat and nursed their coffee until Athena dropped Christopher off a little after eleven.

With the rest of the day open, the guys asked Chris if he wanted to go to the zoo and the young Diaz was overly excited to go with his dad and Buck.

Spending the afternoon at the zoo, checking out various exhibits, some Chris has seen before on his school field trip and others he hadn't, dinner of pizza at home was a relaxing affair and by the time they'd finished the Disney movie they'd put on, Chris was asleep on the couch, so Eddie carried him into his room. This caused him to wake up and with the help of Buck, they helped him change for bed and read him a story. Eddie reminded him Carla would be there in the morning because he and Buck had a 24-hour shift starting before Chris woke up, so he wouldn't see him until Tuesday morning; Chris was bummed he wouldn't see Eddie for so long, but he promised to video chat before he went to bed if he wasn't on a call and soon the young one was drifting off to sleep.

Once the men knew he was fully asleep, they slipped out of Chris' room and shut the door. Eddie went to get two beers and followed Buck into the living room, "so, are you sticking around tonight?" Eddie wondered, holding up a beer, a question on if he was drinking or not left unsaid.

"As long as you're okay with me staying," Buck replied, reaching for one of the cold bottles.

"Always," Eddie promised, taking a seat on the couch next to Buck, "so, when did you know?"

"Know what?" Buck wondered, taking a swig of his beer and turning a little to face him.

Eddie returned his gaze and lifted a curious eyebrow, "the elephant in the locker room."

"I thought elephants lived in Africa," Buck smirked, laughing when Eddie glared at him, "okay, and some parts of Asia, too," he added, taking a deep breath and moving to set his beer down, "I know what you're asking and it's kinda a long explanation."

"We have time," Eddie confirmed, shifting to look at him.

Buck took a deep breath, "two Christmas' ago the elf that walked Chris back to us, complimented our son and I just thanked her; I didn't correct her. I think that's when I realized there was something more between us, but I didn't know what. It honestly wasn't until the last few days that I truly realized what it was."

"Why didn't you try to say something?" Eddie wondered.

"Would you have been receptive? That Christmas, Shannon was back in your lives, and not long after that, she passed away and I wasn't going to put that on you when you were going through the loss of your wife and Chris' mom. You also had never hinted on, or that I picked up on at least, that you were bi, so I didn't want to ruin our friendship and I wanted to respect your time to grieve," Buck continued, "I didn't feel like it was my place, yet."

"Yeah, I was dealing with a lot of emotions back then," Eddie agreed and took a deep breath, "but when I saw you under that truck, and I had to watch you in pain on the ground, I felt so helpless and something shifted in our relationship. Then after the tsunami and all you did for Chris, whatever I was feeling got stronger, and I meant what I said back then. There's nobody in this world I trust with my son more than you."

"But I lost him, Eddie. One second he was safe on the firetruck, the next he's gone and I... I'll never forgive myself for that," Buck sighed, running his hand over his face, "you shouldn't either."

"Haven't you realized how much danger you put yourself in that day? I mean you had to have a freaking blood transfusion because you lost so much blood! The doctor said you should have collapsed sooner than you did, but I know two things kept you going, finding Chris and adrenaline," Eddie started. "Chris once told me you were the first person on the pier to realize that the receding water was a tsunami. If it was not for you recognizing that, I know Chris would not have stood a chance had you not been there," Eddie continued, "and if I should be mad at anyone, it should be myself. I'm the one who talked you into taking him out in the first place."

"You had no way of knowing that would happen or where we'd go," Buck challenged.

"Exactly and neither did you," Eddie reminded him, "it was a natural disaster; one that we will never forget, but Buck, you can't blame yourself or keep beating yourself up about it. It's because of you I have my son asleep in his room right now and I'm thankful for that every day." Taking a deep breath, Eddie reached over and rested his hand on Buck's shoulder.

"So I'm not 'exhausting'?" Buck asked, never having brought it up before, but always remembered what Eddie said in the grocery store.

Eddie sighed, squeezing Buck's shoulder, "I never really meant that. I was just pissed that Chris and I couldn't contact you because of the stupid lawsuit. I missed you."

"I missed you both, too," Buck smiled lightly.

"So let's never miss each other again?" Eddie suggested, locking gazes with the man, "what do you say we take a leap of faith and finally act on all the feelings we've had for each other?"

"I'd like that, but promise me something?" Buck asked.

"Anything," Eddie explained, meaning every little bit of it.

"If it doesn't work, we can still have some semblance of a friendship after. I don't think I could handle losing you," Buck finished.

Shifting closer to him on the couch, Eddie wrapped his arms around Buck, "no matter what, we're family, even if a romantic relationship doesn't last for us, but honestly, I'm pretty sure it will. I've fallen hard for you," Eddie smirked.

"Oh really now?" Buck accepted the hug and grinned, "so does this mean I don't have to sleep on the couch anymore?"

Eddie laughed lightly, "well, it is a little small for two people, but my bed is a perfect size. Maybe we should go in there now and I can show you," he offered.

Buck pulled back a little, "I'll accept that invitation, on two conditions."

"Sleeping together is conditional?" Eddie raised a curious eyebrow.

"Nope, just I don't sleep with someone I'm not _together_ with anymore and we need to take it slow, so we can do this the right way. Which means I'm not going to bed with you until you kiss me, Diaz."

"I can confirm that you are definitely my boyfriend if you'll have me, and we can take it as slow as you want because I want this to be right, but," Eddie paused and leaned in a little further, just inches from his lips, "I can kiss you now if you want me to."

Buck drew out his response, letting the man stew a moment, but also didn't want to wait that long to have his lips on his, so Buck closed the distance between them, pressing a gentle kiss on his lips, "you're definitely my boyfriend and tonight we just sleep."

Eddie nodded, smiling at him, "deal."

~*~

As Owen pulled his Jeep up to the sidewalk at Carlos' home, TK sighed in the backseat with Buttercup, a slight whimper escaping his lips. "Was that Buttercup or you?" Owen asked with a laugh, glancing in the rearview mirror at his son.

"It was me," TK admitted, "Carlos is going home and we'll be sleeping apart tonight. I kinda got used to having him close."

Carlos' cheeks flushed a deep shade of red at the conversation between the two men, still not used to having 'relationship' conversations in front of his boyfriend's dad.

"I guess you're just gonna have to get 'creative' at seeing each other," Owen suggested, nudging Carlos playfully, "as long as your gun isn't the only protection you have."

"Dad!" TK exclaimed, his cheeks deepening their color.

Turning to look at TK, Carlos smirked, "what 'gun' are we talking about?"

"I like you," Owen confirmed, glancing back at his son, "he can keep up with us."

"That he can," TK smirked, tugging at the door handle to open his door, so he could walk his boyfriend up to his house.

Carlos took the hint that he was done joking around, so he glanced at Owen, "thanks for the ride."

"No problem," Owen replied with a nod and when he glanced to see his son leaning against the back of the car, he continued, "how'd he do while he was gone? Anything I need to worry about?"

"No," Carlos shook his head, "I think he did great! It probably helped that Buck was around, so he didn't have a lot of time alone. He did tell you about Buck, right?"

"Yeah, only after I saw pictures of them together on Facebook," Owen laughed, "but that's Tevan for you. Always up for adventures, but they're usually harmless; won't get into too much trouble."

"So you know about them requisitioning your work truck to go to the college?" Carlos raised a curious eyebrow.

"Just between us, they don't know that I know, but I do. I had to log the mileage and explain the additional miles," Owen winked, "you better get going before my kiddo gets impatient. I know he's not looking forward to being apart and I don't blame him. You know you're welcome at the house anytime, right?"

Carlos nodded, smiling at him, "thank you for your support, Owen," he shifted to open his door, "thanks again and see you later," he finished, jumping down onto the sidewalk and meeting his boyfriend at the back of the SUV, "you trying to get rid of me so soon?"

"Absolutely not," TK shook his head, wrapping his arms around him tightly, "I don't want to let you go."

"I don't either, but we knew this would happen," Carlos whispered into his neck, "but we can video chat, text, and talk on the phone. And I do have to work tomorrow."

"I know," TK nodded, melting into his embrace, "and I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow."

"You do? Why didn't you say anything?" Carlos wondered, pulling back to look at him.

TK shrugged, "it's not really a big deal. It's just to see if my arm has healed enough to lift more than five pounds. If it does, he'll clear me so I can start working out again."

"Tyler, that's a big deal," Carlos replied, "it means you're closer to getting back to work than you were today."

"True," TK agreed, "I guess I just won't be satisfied until I'm back to normal," he shook his head, "anyway, can I walk you to your door?"

"You trying to get rid of me that fast?" Carlos laughed lightly as he opened the back of the Jeep to remove his luggage, throwing his backpack over his shoulder and setting his suitcase on its wheels.

"No, the gentlemanly thing to do is to make sure you get to your door alright and get safely inside before I leave. You're not the only one who can be chivalrous," TK winked, taking Carlos' suitcase's handle with his good arm and his boyfriend's hand in the other.

Carlos smiled as they walked up the familiar steps to his front door, where he dug out his keys and unlocked his door, "well, thank you, kind sir," he winked, pushing the door open to set his suitcase and bag down inside, "however can I repay you?"

TK bowed at Carlos and took his hand in his, "to know that my love is home safely is repayment enough," he pressed a kiss to Carlos' hand and grinned at him, "but to share a kiss 'goodnight' and a promise to see each other in the 'morrow would be absolute."

"I didn't realize I was dating a real Romeo," Carlos grinned, squeezing their joined hands as he chuckled lightly, stepping forward to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, "you never cease to amaze me, mi cariño."

"I'm a man of many talents," TK winked at him as he pulled back slightly to study his features, "I should probably go, though. Dad and Buttercup will only wait so long."

"Yeah," Carlos agreed, leaning in to press a gentle kiss to his lips, "love you. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

TK nodded and relaxed into his arms for a moment, "you will and love you, too."

~*~

" _Buenos días, mi novio_ ," Buck murmured into Eddie's ear when the four-am alarm went off.

Eddie groaned and shifted a little, reaching to slam the snooze button on his clock, before turning to look at his boyfriend, "good morning. How did I not know you knew Spanish?"

"I picked up a little when I was in South America, but I'm pretty rusty," Buck explained, resting his chin on Eddie's shoulder. They were currently pressed together, Buck draped over Eddie's body, with his back firm to Buck's chest, "maybe you can help me practice."

"I think that will definitely happen," Eddie confirmed, shifting to his back to look up at Buck, who was laying on his side still.

Buck shifted his hand to slip under Eddie's t-shirt, resting it against his warm skin, "so last night really happened? I wasn't dreaming?"

Sitting up, Eddie pressed his lips to his new boyfriend's lips and wrapped his arms around him, "I assure you it's not a dream. It really happened."

"Good, because if it was a dream, I was gonna go back to sleep and live in dreamland a little longer," Buck murmured, kissing him gently, "you okay with this?"

Eddie thought for a moment, "of course. Honestly, I didn't know how I'd feel, but this just feels right. You know how the first time a new couple sleeps together there's that nervous next morning? I don't have that here. I feel like we've been dancing around a relationship and going 'slow' for a long time and this is just the next step in that, even though it took us a long ass time to figure it out."

Buck nodded in understanding, smiling lightly, "I get it. You're right. I think we have definitely been working up towards this, so I'm glad TK and Carlos pointed it out and we finally realized it and made things official, so I can keep you away from flirting with Chris' teacher."

"Very funny, Buckley. I wasn't flirting," Eddie retorted, shifting to sit up, out of Buck's grasp, "and for that, you're gonna drive yourself to work."

~*~

Bounding up the stairs at the firehouse, TK walked right into his dad's office, where Buttercup was currently curled up on one of his many beds around the station. As soon as he walked in, the dog jumped up and dashed towards him excitedly and TK knelt down to greet him, "hey, boy. Miss me?" He scratched behind his ears and ran his hands down his back a few times before standing up.

"Hey, everything alright? I haven't heard from you all day," Owen commented, as he finally hung up from a phone call.

TK grinned and walked towards his dad, setting the paper in his hand down on his desk, "doc cleared me to work out and if I don't screw anything up this week and take it easy, he'll clear me to come back to work next week on light duty."

"That's great news, TK!" Owen returned his son's smile and stood up, after glancing at the doctor's note he'd set down, "now, are you sure you want to come back? After everything, you're sure?"

"Yes, dad, I'm sure. This is what I want to do for the rest of my life," TK confirmed.

The father stepped closer to his son and wrapped his arms around him briefly, "I'm glad to hear it. The station is not the same without you here. We've all missed you," he told him, "I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, dad," TK nodded at him, "um, would you mind if Carlos comes to hang out after his shift while I'm working out?"

"What kind of 'working out' are we talking about? You know this is an active fire station, right?" Owen eyed him.

"Dad," TK rolled his eyes, "my doctor said I need to have a spotter to do any workouts, even on things I know well, in case my shoulder gives out. So, who's gonna spot me if you guys get called out?" TK wondered, "we'll try to keep it PG."

~*~

The team was excited to hear of TK's progress over dinner, but their celebrations didn't last too long, because halfway through their meal they got a call. This left TK in the station with Buttercup, but Carlos joined him not long after the team left and they headed upstairs to the gym. "I told my dad we'd keep it PG as much as possible," TK admitted, wrapping his arms around Carlos' shoulders, "but that doesn't mean I'm not going to kiss you."

"I think kissing is okay in PG movies," Carlos replied casually, his hands moving to rest on TK's hips, "but if we start kissing now, I'm not sure we'll be able to get much of a work out in before we need to find somewhere more private."

"Maybe we should do the work out first and then, you know, hit the showers," TK suggested, moving over to the wall where there was a TV and turned it to a news station, just to have something on in the background while they did attempt to get some real exercising done.

Not wanting to overdo it right away, TK and Carlos started out with some stretching before moving onto some leg exercises. Taking a break after several reps of each they were familiar with, they took a brief break for water, before moving on to the dumbbells and free weights. TK hadn't lost too much strength, but they didn't push it, so he could start easy and work his way back to what he used to bench.

The two chatted about their day. Aside from his appointment, TK didn't really do anything and was relieved he was physically one step closer to being back to work. Carlos told him about sharing what he'd learned at the conference with his boss and a few other coworkers who he'd promised to get certain information for and aside from a few usual calls and his normal patrol, the day hadn't been too eventful for the Austin PD.

As they were talking, the TV continued to play the news and just as TK set down a set of dumbbells and grabbed some water, he heard, " _and we've just gotten word of some breaking news..._ " the announcer started as he began to read over the news report.

At those two words, both men looked up at the screen as information flashed along the bottom as the newscaster began to share what he knew. Quickly processing the details, TK couldn't help the gasp escape his lips as it sunk in, "oh shit!"

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: We hope you’ve all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the support, kudos, and comments! Don’t forget to subscribe so you get an alert when we update. We have more left to tell in this story and hope y’all will stick with us! We love y’all! We also read and appreciate every one of your comments, but so sorry we’re terrible with responding!


	9. The Longest Call

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x15 - Eddie Begins; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> **A/N3: Head’s up! We’ve changed the spoilers to 911 episode 3x15 - Eddie Begins, due to the events in this chapter!**
> 
> All underlined text are quotes from 911 episode 3x15 - Eddie Begins - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

"It could be any crew, it could be another shift from the 118," Carlos tried to explain as if to calm himself down as well. "How do we know..." the words muted on his tongue as the newscast aired a clip of Eddie jogging across the screen. "Fuck."

"So much for it being another crew," TK murmured, "because most definitely where there's Eddie, there's Evan."

"They still have to drill down, so the crews might change," Carlos offered, trying to change the subject somehow.

"It doesn't work like that. If a crew is on a scene, they don't change in the middle," TK told him, pulling out his phone to call Buck. He really didn't think he'd answer, so he wasn't surprised when it went to voicemail, and once past his greeting, TK took a deep breath, "Hey, it's TK, uh, so the call made the national news. We're watching it on TV here. I saw Eddie on the screen and I'm pretty sure you're there, too. Just... Be safe and don't do anything too crazy, alright? And if you need to call, I'm here," he said as calmly as he could, and then ended the call to send a text message.

 **TK:** Alright, so your call made the national news. I know you guys are there and please don't do anything stupid; be safe and if you're not I'll kick your ass myself! Love ya, bro!

"Come on," Carlos nodded towards the stairs, "you're not gonna be able to focus on anything except this, so let's go downstairs and watch it where the couches are comfortable."

"Yeah, you're probably right," TK patted his thigh, and Buttercup jumped up from where he was sleeping on the floor nearby and followed TK downstairs, "I swear if he gets hurt I'm flying back to kick his ass!" TK called out, knowing his boyfriend was following behind them.

"Is threatening your friends a normal thing or is it a firefighter thing?" Carlos wondered, "because usually if one of us cops gets hurt, we don't threaten more bodily harm."

"Only with Buck. It's sort of been our thing," TK replies dryly. "Knowing everything that's gone on the past few years, I just don't want to see him or Eddie hurt."

"I don't either," Carlos assured him, as they reached the common area and picked up the remote to turn the TV to the station they had on upstairs, "and I'm sure they're going to be alright."

"I want to believe that," TK plopped down on the couch.

Carlos moved over and sat down next to him, his arm wrapping around TK's shoulders, "hey, don't worry. If something happens we'll deal with it, but try not to freak out until we know more, okay?"

"Yeah, okay," TK halfheartedly agreed. If he'd been more observant and not so wrapped around what was happening on the TV, he would have noticed that the crew had returned to the station and more people had surrounded him in the common area.

"Hey, little brother, what's going on? Why is the national news on?" Judd asked.

It wasn't until he heard Judd's voice, that TK realized others were there and he glanced up as Mateo chimed in, "hey, what's going on in LA?"

TK shook from his thoughts when he recognized the voices and glanced around, "there's a kid down a well, and I know someone on the scene. And I know he is going to do something stupid, because well that's Evan for you."

"Wait for a second; Evan? As in Evan Buckley?" Owen asked, eyeing his son as his eyes flashed to the screen, "what's going on?"

"Yes, that Evan," TK confirmed, "I know we didn't have a chance to talk about him, but yeah. He's a firefighter in LA and has been through a lot the last few years. This is the last thing he needs to deal with."

"Did he get hurt?" Owen narrowed his eyes in confusion, "if he's a firefighter, then he's trained for jobs like this."

"It's not that... Well, it kinda is. It's that," TK took a calming breath, "they have to drill down parallel to the well pipe the kid is trapped in and send someone down to the same level the kid is at and dig across to get to him. I'm worried he'll go down, or worse, Eddie will; his um, best friend," TK explained, trying not to say too much, but turned his gaze to his dad, hoping the intense stare he gave him would share enough to say he couldn't explain more yet, "and of course, he's not answering his phone because he's out on the call and not only are they dealing with the call, the weather is coming in and they're concerned about a storm."

Before TK could continue or anyone could add in anything, his phone beeped and he pulled it out to see a text from Buck, so he quickly opened it.

 **Evan:** Don't worry about me. Worry about Eddie. He's the idiot going down when we get to depth... Thanks for checking in. Will keep you posted. Love ya, bro!

With a groan, TK read the message out loud to everyone, and Owen eyed his son, "TK, what's wrong?"

" _...We're getting reports that the drill has reached the target depth and crews here are setting up to send a firefighter down to retrieve the child. The atmosphere here is tense with concern for the boy and the worsening weather conditions. Lightning strikes have been happening nearby and the rain is only getting harder, making this an even more dangerous rescue mission than it was earlier..._ "

Hearing the words from the reporter, TK stood up, "we need to talk," he told Owen, not even waiting for his dad to agree before climbing the stairs and heading into his office.

Owen followed his son, now even more concerned about TK and Evan. As soon as he walked into his office, he closed the door, "what's wrong, TK?"

"Evan... he and Eddie..." TK took a deep breath, "Evan and Eddie have been best friends for a long time. Eddie helped him through getting crushed by a firetruck..."

"That was Evan?" Owen's eyes widened in shock, "oh, God, I had no idea!"

"Yeah, I was shocked, too," TK agreed, "we've been terrible at keeping in touch with him, but that's beside the point right now. He and Eddie have been... From what I can gather, really close and Carlos and I picked up on a lot while we were there. What I was trying to say is that if something happens to Eddie, I don't know if Evan will be able to handle it."

"Okay... Care to elaborate on that?" Owen asked, trying to get more out of his son. Hearing that his other son had gone through such a life-threatening situation broke his heart, but he was glad to know Evan had someone to help him through it. This only reminded him that he'd been a terrible 'father' to Evan and for that he'd have to truly apologize. 

"And the tsunami that hit Santa Monica, guess who was also in the middle of all that? Evan, and his best friend's son. They were on the pier when it hit, and from the sounds of it, he had risked his life to make sure people were okay," TK explained. 

"Shit..." Owen breathed. As he was about to say more, he heard a knock on the door. Carlos peeked his head in.

"Hey, they are sending Eddie down to get the kid now," Carlos commented softly.

"Well, we did know that, from what Evan said," TK responded sadly. 

"Yeah, but now it's official. And we have to worry about Christopher finding out..." Carlos tried to explain. "He also only has thirty minutes to get this done and I'm worried for them."

"Are we worried about the situation or that one of them is going to do something stupid?" Owen asked, glancing between the two, "I'm confused."

"To be honest, both. Unless this goes exactly as planned, either of them could do something stupid, and then the other will try to help, putting their lives in danger. I've only known them a few days and I figured that out," Carlos explained.

"You're not wrong," TK agreed with a sigh, "come on. We should get down there. I want to watch as much as I can."

"I can't believe all this is going on," Owen muttered, following his son and Carlos back downstairs to the TV, where Mateo explained he'd gone down and there was twenty minutes left on his allotted time and wanted to know why he only had such a short amount of time, "portable oxygen tanks can only hold so much and the oxygen levels are low that far down and it seems like they don't know how much water is down there," he responded, taking a seat on the couch, knowing he would never get anything else done that night while worrying about his other son.

"Hey kid, do you have a picture of Eddie?" Judd asked shakily. "Better than the one they showed on the news?"

"Yeah, I do. Why?" TK nervously scrolled through the pictures from the past weekend on his phone.

When TK handed over his phone showing a group photo that had been taken the first night they'd gone to dinner, Judd studied the faces and zoomed in on the man in question, "damn it," he hissed, groaning.

"What's wrong?" TK eyed him as he took his phone back, "do you know him?"

"I better. He's my cousin," Judd responded, "this shit just got more personal."

Gasps and shocked exclamations washed over the group watching the TV, unsure exactly what to say while trying to figure out which parents were related. Carlos was the first one to speak up, "you're his cousin? Like somehow one of your parents and one of his parents are related?"

"Yes, our moms are sisters," Judd explained easily, running his hand over his forehead, "I'm gonna go call Grace. She's got a connection to the Big Man Upstairs who I'm not quite ready to talk to after everything that happened, and I think she's the perfect person to lift those prayers for us," he moved to stand up and pulled his phone out of his pocket as he slipped out of the room.

"So if your friend Evan is like your brother and he's close with Eddie, and Judd is cousins with Eddie, then you guys are like closer family than you first thought," Mateo chimed in.

"Probie has a point," Owen agreed, laughing lightly, "and he goes by Buck to others. We're the only ones he lets call him Evan," he motioned between him and TK.

"... _It's been almost thirty minutes that Firefighter Diaz has been underground. We've learned there is no communication with him due to interference with the weather and the distance he's down, so they are completely relying on tugs to the safety line_..." The reporter continued their explanation, repeating some things she'd explained for anyone just tuning in to the broadcast and then she paused and turned as a lightning bolt cracked across the sky not far from where they were and the firefighters and other rescue personnel began to scramble, " _it seems as though the thirty minutes are up and it's time for the firefighter to return to the surface. We can only hope he has the boy with him..._ " She paused again as the camera zoomed on the hole.

"I can't watch," TK groaned, hiding his eyes in his hands, though he peeked out from between his fingers to see what happened.

Carlos sat next to him and rested a comforting hand on his shoulder as Judd returned just as several firefighters crowded near the line as it was being pulled up. It seemed as if time slowed down while they pulled the line back with the winch until one firefighter held up the frayed end of the line; it could have broken naturally, but they all knew it had been done purposely.

"Oh, God," TK groaned, as the camera zoomed further into the gloomy faces of the firefighters near him and even with the distance, TK could make out Bobby's Captain's helmet and the blue eyes of his best friend, both wearing a look of shock, pain, and confusion.

"What does that mean?" Mateo asked quickly, "where's Eddie?"

"It means that he needed more time and that he'd rather cut it to get that time and suffer the consequences, than leaving the kid. Sometimes in this line of work, you have to make split-second decisions that may be disobeying orders, but sometimes it's the right thing to do," Paul explained, easily being the one who didn't have as much attachment to the people in the situation, even though he considered the Strands family and felt for their friends and extended family in LA, and his fellow firefighters.

" _It looks as though Firefighter Diaz cut his safety line, so now they're gearing up another firefighter to go down and assess the situation. We have no idea why he cut it and I can only imagine what is going on in the minds of the people here. I hope the weather holds out long enough for everyone to return safely,_ " the woman on the TV chimed in.

"They won't send Evan down," Owen commented, moving to sit on the arm of the couch near his son, "he's too attached as a friend and partner at work to make the right call."

TK nodded, "I hope you're right. I can't... This is hard enough knowing Eddie's down there. I can't imagine Evan going down there, too."

"If something was wrong with Eddie or the kid, I know Buck wouldn't hesitate to cut his line to stay with them. I've only known him a short time and I could tell that he would do anything for Eddie, including putting his own life on the line to make sure Eddie comes home to his son," Carlos added, looking at TK.

"Doesn't seem any different than when a firefighter is out on medical leave, yet still jumps into an overturned bus to rescue a pinned driver while it's on fire, being flooded by a broken fire hydrant, and had to do rescue breathing just to keep her alive long enough for more help to arrive," Marjan offered, as she watched TK struggle with seeing the news of his friends, and hoped it'd put something in perspective for him; he'd do the same thing if he was in Eddie's shoes.

"She has a point," Carlos agreed, looking at TK.

"Yeah," TK nodded, taking a deep breath as he focused on the TV screen.

Going through the members of the team he'd met, TK thought about who they'd send and he easily knew if it wasn't Buck, it'd be Chim, since he was a paramedic and not just a firefighter. 

With swift movements on the screen, everyone watched as Chim was lowered down the hole. They weren't exactly sure how long it would take to lower him down, but after just a few tense minutes, Bobby at the pulley, gave a thumbs up to stop the movement, and then he waited, his hand on the line waiting for the next signal.

TK felt his knee shaking as he watched the unfolding events and he just wanted to know that his friends were okay, "now that I know Evan is a firefighter in LA, and Eddie, too, I'm not sure I can put my feelings aside if we ever hear news of firefighters from there anymore. I'm gonna be so worried about them."

Carlos gently rubbed his boyfriend's back, wishing he could do more to help him, "there's nothing wrong with that. I'm sure you'd feel the same way if you hear of your former house in New York dealing with something dangerous, too. Now you just have an emotional attachment to LA that you didn't know you had before."

"True," TK agreed, leaning against his boyfriend, though his eyes were glued to the TV.

~*~

_On the screen, the rain was coming down, and off in the distance flashes of lightning could be seen that was making an already tense situation even worse. After a few minutes of waiting, Bobby snapped to attention and lifted his index finger and circled his fist several times, a common motion to mean 'let's go', so it was obvious he'd gotten the signal on the rope to pull Chim back up._

_After what seemed like hours, Chim's helmet reached the surface and he was quickly lifted further up with the child in his arms, wrapped in a silver solar blanket._

_Cheers erupted as the mother of the child and Hen rushed forward to grab the boy and quickly whisk him away, while Chim and Bobby had a brief conversation before Chim walked away from the view of the camera._

_Seeming as though nothing major was going, Bobby turned to someone nearby, but the lightning cracked overhead, hit the drill rig and crane that was standing five stories tall as a beacon for the storm. As the electricity traveled down through the metal crane, it caused an explosion of a fuel tank, which unbalanced the rig and in just a few swift motions, it began to tip over and Buck was lunging forward to knock Bobby out of the way as the rig came down._

_The immense shift in the truck, caused the ground to shake and the wet earth came back together, collapsing the hole with Eddie still below ground. As quick as he had pulled Bobby out of the way, Buck realized the situation and dashed towards where the hole had been, immediately digging for any chance of opening the hole again and screaming for Eddie, while he was soaked from the rain and covered in mud._

_Bobby suddenly moved towards the young firefighter he saw as his son and pulled him away from the remains of the hole, sadly knowing there was nothing he could do at the moment to help Eddie and they all would need to regroup to figure out how they were going to rescue him._

_The TV camera zoomed in on the moment, Buck sprawled on his back on Bobby, trying to reach for the hole, panting and trying to call Eddie's name..._

~*~

"No!" TK gasped, tears filling his eyes as he watched everything unfold, his heart aching as his best friend reacted from the emotional pain of the situation and wishing he could do more for him. "I..." TK took a deep breath, but he shook his head and sunk further against Carlos, unsure what to even say.

Carlos tightened his arms around him and kissed his cheek, his own concerns growing for Eddie, Buck, and TK as they sat back and just watched everything going on, "he's gonna be okay. They're gonna figure it out."

"I want to believe that, but Eddie's forty-feet below ground and the hole collapsed," TK choked out, as the alarm sounded, startling everyone out of their thoughts.

Owen put his hand on TK's shoulder and squeezed it tightly, "think positive. Don't count them out yet. There's a lot they can still do. Don't give up hope," he told him, sending a silent 'keep an eye on him' warning to Carlos as Owen stood up and the rest of the team began to head out to the trucks.

TK nodded at his dad before Owen jogged to follow the team, leaving the young couple to watch the news and worry about their friends in Los Angeles, "I'm not giving up hope, but I can't help worrying. Eddie could be hurt or he could run out of oxygen..."

"Tyler, we can't think that way. There are tons of firefighters and professionals there who are going to come up with a plan and save him," Carlos told him, trying to not only reassure TK but also to keep himself calm so he could be there for TK.

"I'm trying to tell myself that, too," TK promised, attempting to put himself into the situation as if he was a firefighter. "I guess, as you said earlier, I'm emotionally invested in who it's happening to, so it's hard not to worry. And I feel helpless because I'm here and my best friend is there and I can't do anything other than be on the phone if he calls or texts."

Carlos nodded, "and it's great he has you because any other day he'd probably be calling Eddie to talk about a tough call, but he's the one they're trying to rescue, so right now, you're exactly what he needs."

~*~

Not long after being pulled away from the collapsed hole, Buck found himself trying to clean off some of the mud in the farmhouses' upstairs bathroom. The family had opened up their home to the many people there, knowing with some of the rain that part of their roads were washed out or flooded and it had become a very long day.

As the brown muck washed down the drain from his turnout coat's sleeves, Buck couldn't help his mind drifting to what Eddie was going through. He could only imagine him being scared and frustrated but also trying to problem solve. " _I can't believe this is happening. It should be me down there. Not him! He has Christopher!_ " At the thought of the young boy, Buck's eyes shot up and he caught his gaze in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed, smudged with dirt and his eyes were red from stress, fatigue, and tears that had been falling, " _what am I going to tell Christopher? What if...? No! I can't..._ " A sob escaped his lips as he glanced down at the running water, immediately overcome by the fear of losing Christopher, Eddie, and what they'd finally worked towards just the night before. " _No! This can't be happening! Please don't take them away from me!_ " Buck fell to his knees in front of the sink with continued sobs and tears falling uncontrollably.

Suddenly the sound of water became too much, so Buck reached to turn off the water, before sitting back on the floor, his back to the cabinet. Seeing a few towels nearby, he grabbed one, finding the soft material comforting in such an intense time and he wiped his eyes, " _I... I need to talk to..._ " At the sudden realization that in a moment like this, he'd normally call Eddie, he realized there was only one other person who could help and he unzipped his jacket and fished for his phone, first finding Eddie's that he was 'taking care of' while he was busy and then found his side pocket and pulled his own phone out and quickly searched for TK's number and hit send, praying he was able to talk.

"Evan!" TK exclaimed, answering the phone on the second ring, "what's going on?"

The tears returned and Buck hid his head in the towel again as he cried, but at hearing the familiar voice telling him to take a deep breath, he did and calmed down enough to speak, "Eddie's... He's down there. The hole collapsed and there's nothing I could do!"

Hearing the emotions in his best friend's voice, TK felt his own emotions take over, but he quickly pushed them aside to be there for him and relaxed under the warmth of Carlos next to him, "I know he's down there," TK confirmed, "and I'm sorry, but there's really nothing you could have done. It was lightning."

"But I should be down there! I should have tried harder to convince him to let me go! He's got a kid! What am I supposed to tell Christopher if something... What if he..."

"Evan, don't even think like that. You won't have to tell Christopher anything, because tomorrow, Eddie's gonna be hugging his son and telling him everything he needs to," TK told him, trying his best to stay on the positive side of things, but also being honest, "and Ev, Eddie's a firefighter like you. Just because he has a son, doesn't mean he's exempt from doing dangerous things and you can't always be the one to do them."

"This from the guy who saved a guy from one of the floors of the Chrysler Building," Buck muttered, trying to calm down, "oh, and what about the time you went swimming in corn to rescue one of your teammates? Or the recent bar fight?"

"Why are you picking on me? You called me," TK huffed, trying not to get too defensive, knowing his friend was just trying to think about something else, "Ev, talk to me."

Buck sighed, wiping his eyes again with the towel in his hands, "I'm scared."

"Yeah, I understand that. If Carlos was in the same situation I'd feel the same," TK confirmed, "you're allowed to be scared, but let that fear drive you to find him. Don't count him out yet. Eddie's a fighter."

"We talked about things last night," Buck whispered, "what if this is some sign that we're not meant to work out?"

"That's not true and you know it. Have you seen the way he looks at you? You both are all in," TK assures him, "the only thing this could be is just proving the point that Carlos and I were trying to make this weekend. Life's too short."

"We talked, we... We didn't even get to tell anyone about us yet!" Buck huffed, throwing the towel in his hands across the floor.

"Evan, you will have that time when you get Eddie back," TK responded, "you'll find him."

"I want to believe that more than anything, but you're not seeing what I'm seeing. I don't even know what we can do. If they'd let me, I'd just dig myself," Buck muttered.

"Well, go tell Bobby that. I know you're not going to be able to sit still for long," TK replied, knowing a drawn-out conversation was not letting his friend be involved with the rescue efforts, "go get your man back."

Having calmed down a lot since talking to TK, when he said that, Buck cracked a smile for the first time in hours and nodded, "thanks, bro. I'm gonna go do that."

"Good. Keep me posted and my phone will be with me all night until I know you guys are alright, so let me know, okay?" TK requested.

Buck shifted a little to stand and nodded, "yeah, I will. Thanks again and I'll, uh, let you know when I know more."

Sharing their goodbyes, the two hung up and Buck pocketed his phone and closed his jacket again, before leaving the bathroom and jogging back downstairs. When he saw Bobby, he looked at him, "Cap, we gotta go dig!" He exclaimed as he came to stand next to Bobby at the bottom of the staircase.

Looking at his son, Bobby took a deep breath and began walking outside, knowing Buck would follow him, "we don't have a drill, Buck, and even if we could get another one up here, their access road is flooded."

Buck sighed, "okay. Well, then, we dig by hand," he offered, looking around at the engineer from another firehouse, Chim and Hen who were all standing on the porch out of the rain.

"Not with all this rain. We could trigger another collapse," Chim chimed in sadly.

"How long can he last down there?" Buck asked the engineer, standing next to him.

The man contemplated his answer, "we're talking thirty feet of wet earth coming right down on top of him," he explained sadly.

As if a light switch had been turned on, Buck realized why everyone seemed to be taking their time, "wait, you all think he's dead."

"No, nobody thinks that," Bobby said firmly.

"We just don't know how to get him out," Chim added quickly, able to tell Buck was close to going into panic mode again.

Stepping closer to the men, Hen rested her hand on Buck's shoulder, "nobody's giving up on him. Nobody," she promised, squeezing gently on his shoulder, "we're gonna find him."

Before Buck could respond, Bobby and the engineer walked back into the house to discuss some options, leaving Hen, Chim, and Buck standing on the porch. Taking a deep breath, Buck moved away from the two paramedics and rested his hands on the railing, leaning to look out over the mess of fire trucks, flashing lights, mud and somewhere below ground, his boyfriend was fighting for his life, "I'm not giving up on him."

"No one is asking you to," Chim responded, moving towards him.

"We'll get him back, it's just gonna take some time. We have to be careful we don't make things worse for Eddie," Hen explained, trying to remain calm.

"Eddie's a fighter," Chim added, "he's a Silver Star recipient; they don't just give those out. You earn them."

Buck nodded, his mind racing with questions, fears and a myriad of other emotions as he looked out at the large group of people standing around under tarps or other things to stay dry, "yeah, I know," Buck confirmed, glancing back as they heard Bobby call Chim inside, so the man walked away, leaving Hen and Buck alone, "we made things official last night," he admitted softly.

"Oh, sweetie," Hen moved forward and wrapped an arm around Buck's shoulders, "that's awesome!"

"Yeah, and twenty-four hours later, I could lose him," Buck admitted, sinking against her, "I'm trying to stay strong, but I'm scared."

"I am, too," she replied softly, "and it's okay to be scared, but there's a lot of great people working on rescue plans, so let's keep the faith."

Taking a deep breath, Buck nodded again and closed his eyes, rubbing his forehead with his free hand, "I'm doing my best. I just can't help thinking about him down there; alone, not knowing what's happening."

Hen put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it gently, trying to give him some silent reassurance, "we're gonna get him back," she promised, before stepping away to give him a few moments to calm down.

~*~

Standing on the porch, looking out over the mess of the mud and rescue equipment, Buck couldn't deny the helpless feeling he had. His boyfriend for only twenty-four hours officially was currently stuck under forty feet of earth, with limited air supply and a chance of flooded tunnels and any number of unknown injuries. For the first time in a long time, Buck didn't know what to do. Logically, he knew that digging by hand would be time-consuming and possibly put Eddie in more danger, but at the moment, he felt like it was the only thing they could do. His mind was clouded and he felt lost; waiting for something to spark in him or one of the team to come up with a new idea that would help find him because at the moment all he wanted was to grab onto Eddie and never let go.

Unsure how long he stood there, when he heard his name being called by Bobby, Buck shook from his daze to look at his Captain, dad, and father-figure in his life, "yeah?"

"Come on, I think we have an idea," Bobby patted him on the shoulder as he, Chim, Hen, and the engineer, walked out towards the group of people waiting for directions.

Buck quickly followed along and as Bobby called everyone over, they formed a circle so they could all hear what Bobby had to say, glad the rain had finally stopped so they weren't getting soaked anymore.

"Okay, listen up. Buck here is gonna get some thermal cams and we are going to fan out and do a grid search. Chimney is gonna have oxygen tanks and warming blankets standing by. I wanna start at the well and go outward in concentric circles," Bobby began, seeing the sad look on his youngest teammate's face.

"LAPD copters are on the way. We'll use their thermal imaging to scan this wider area. Try to pick up Diaz's heat signature," the engineer continued.

A few gasps and a light muttering began to come from an area of the circle that quickly began to part, just as Eddie appeared, "won't be easy," his raspy voice choked out, his body soaked to the core and using the last bit of strength he had to make it back to the team.

"Eddie?" Bobby gasped, looking towards him, almost in disbelief that he was there.

Buck's eyes focused on his boyfriend, "Eddie!"

"I'm pretty cold," Eddie added, taking a few more steps before his body gave out and he fell to his knees from exhaustion.

"Eddie!" Bobby exclaimed again, as he and Buck rushed to Eddie.

Bobby wrapped his arms around one of Eddie's arms to help him, while Buck grabbed onto Eddie's hand and slung his other arm around his back, "hey, hey," Buck called out, his eyes focused on Eddie, already trying to figure out just what injuries he had.

"Get him up, Buck," Bobby suggested, as the large group of volunteers and fellow firefighters began to cheer and clap, celebrating his return.

Easily, Bobby and Buck helped Eddie stand up on shaky legs and Hen came up behind Eddie to wrap her own arms around him from behind, "come on, Eddie. Let's get you checked out, buddy. So we can get you home."

"Yeah, I got a big date Friday. I can't miss it," Eddie stuttered as he let the three of them walk him towards Chim in the waiting ambulance, but before they got too far, Eddie stopped to take a few deep breaths, "wait a second."

"Eddie, we gotta get you warmed up," Hen encouraged him, able to feel his body shivering under her arms.

"I know, just," Eddie took a deep breath again and let go of Buck's hand, so he could reach up to fist his hand in the collar of Buck's turnout coat and pulled him close, pressing his lips to his, not caring who saw, how they looked or what they had on. He needed that kiss as much as he needed a hug from his son and oxygen in his lungs.

A few catcalls could easily be heard as they kissed and Buck could feel his cheeks warming up from the flush growing. All the worries and fears of losing him that night washed away at that moment, and all he could focus on was his boyfriend, back in his arms, as tears of relief slipped from his eyes.

Reluctantly pulling back when his lungs began to scream for air, Eddie looked into the crystal blue eyes of his boyfriend, "I love you and I'm gonna spend the rest of my life showing you how much."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~
> 
> A/N4: Whew! It took a little more for us to get this done, but we love what we came up with! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Please let us know what you think! We apologize for not being able to respond to all the comments, but we do read them and appreciate them all! They definitely encourage us to keep going! Thank you all for the support! Love y’all!


	10. After It All

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x15 - Eddie Begins; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Heads up - this chapter contains medical treatments that we came up with. It wasn’t clear in the show what exactly happened to Eddie and we are not medical professionals, so please don’t take any of this as medical advice - we were just guessing.  
> A/N4: On a side note, our specializations recently are: history, Schitt’s Creek, Marvel Movies, Hamilton, Disney, and so much more! LOL

~*~

The 126 was still out on a call, and since it was now later at night, Carlos, TK, and Buttercup were the only ones left in the station, watching the events in Los Angeles unfold from the live news feed and intermittent descriptions from the reporter. At a suddenly shocked exclamation, the camera zoomed in on the group of firefighters standing around having a conversation, but in the middle, there was some commotion and TK gasped, "oh my God! It's Eddie!"

"What?" Carlos turned his focus to the TV again and his eyes widened in shock, "oh wow. I did not expect that."

Tears of relief slipped from TK's eyes as he turned to wrap his arms around his boyfriend, "neither did I, but I'm so glad to see him."

"Me, too," Carlos agreed, pressing a kiss to TK's lips and then reached up to wipe his eyes, "hey, he's gonna be alright. He and Buck are gonna be okay."

TK nodded and sunk against Carlos' chest for a moment, but turned his head to keep an eye on the TV, hoping they'd give an update to Eddie's condition before they stopped the news. As he looked, he noticed Buck, Bobby, and Hen leading him towards the ambulance, but after he took a few steps, he stopped and grabbed Buck by the collar and pulled him close.

"Did they just kiss?" Carlos gasped, glancing down at TK against his chest.

"I wasn't seeing things?" TK asked hopeful, a grin tugging at his lips.

"Nope, that was definitely a kiss," Carlos confirmed as the news replayed the kiss as if it was a sports highlight, "and apparently they want to make sure everyone saw," he laughed lightly, "you better text Buck so he knows."

Pulling his phone from his pocket again, TK sent a quick message to his friend, knowing he wouldn't get it for a while.

**TK:** Glad Eddie is found! Keep us posted on how he's doing! And just so you know, your kiss is all over the news! *wink*

~*~

Hen and Bobby exchanged shocked glances as they stared at Buck and Eddie, but Hen's medical training quickly kicked in and she nudged Eddie, "you guys have plenty of time to talk about this later. Eddie, we've got to get you out of these wet clothes," she responded, glancing at Buck who was standing stunned at what happened.

Somehow Buck managed to snap out of his shock when Hen and Bobby continued to guide Eddie towards Chim at the ambulance.

"Thank God, Eddie!" Chim exclaimed, as Hen and Bobby got him to sit down on the bumper of the ambulance, while Chim threw one of the blankets around his shoulders, "and here I thought Buck was the spontaneous one!"

"Can't let him have all the fun," Eddie responded before Chim put an oxygen mask over his face.

Bobby stepped away to keep the prying eyes away from Eddie getting checked out, Hen began to help Chim check over Eddie, leaving Buck standing next to him, still shocked and clinging to Eddie's hand, not wanting to let go.

"Buckaroo, you gotta let go, so we can get this suit off him," Hen commented, moving to stand in front of Eddie as Chim was listening to his heart.

Buck locked gazes with her, "no."

"That's not gonna fly with me," she rested her hand on his shoulder and nudged him a few steps back, "don't make me use the 'give us room to do our job' card."

"But..." Buck choked out, his watery eyes locked on Eddie's tired brown ones, "I..."

Hen was in a hurry, already unzipping his red jumpsuit when Eddie squeezed his hand, "it's okay," he loosened his grip on him, "I'm not going anywhere."

Biting his lip, Buck reluctantly let his hand fall from Eddie's so Hen and Chim could take care of him, but he refused to move from the spot he'd been in.

Bobby walked back over to his team, the relief he felt keeping him going from the long day it had been, and slipped an arm around Buck's shoulders. He could tell he wasn't doing well, "come on, let's give them a few minutes to work," he suggested, hoping to coax him away to at least give the medics room to check Eddie out.

Buck let his feet move with Bobby, but his eyes remained locked with his boyfriend's, "Cap, we..."

"I had a feeling this would come one day, so I've already got the paperwork filled out back at the station. I just need a date and you guys to sign it and everything will be fine, work-wise, as long as you guys don't give me a reason to put you on different shifts," Bobby told him softly.

"Oh," Buck's eyes widened in surprise, "wow, I... I know Hen was really pointing things out, but I didn't realize that you had picked up on it, too."

"I may be older than you, but I have eyes, Buck," Bobby laughed lightly, "you've been flirting with each other for almost two years."

Unable to help it, Buck's cheeks flushed even more and nodded, his eyes turning to see Chim walking over, "how's Eddie?" He asked quickly.

Chim eyed Buck, "your boyfriend is bordering on hypothermia," he replied honestly, then turned to Bobby, "Cap, we gotta get him to a hospital. His temp is already below 95 degrees and we don't have any dry clothes to put him in. The warming blankets and oxygen will only do so much. And the road is still flooded, so we can't get the ambulance out until the water recedes more."

Bobby contemplated, "how long can he last the way he is now?"

"Not long," Chim added, shaking his head, "we can only do so much. We didn't come equipped for hypothermic conditions, and the road wasn't flooded when they took Hayden to the hospital."

"Alright, as far as I know, the LAPD chopper is still on its way, unless it was called off because he came back," Bobby started, "lemme go talk to a few people and see if we can get him an airlift to the hospital."

"Good idea," Chim smiled, nodding and turned to go back to Hen and Eddie.

"I'm going with him," Buck told Boddy, though he quickly realized how harsh it came out, "uh, just that, um, I don't want to, um, I wanna stay with him."

"I know you do and I'm not gonna let him go alone. If we can get a ride from the chopper, _and_ as long as he's stable and there's room, you can go, _but_ if he's not doing well, I'm gonna have to send Chim or Hen with him and you'll have to meet him at the hospital later," Bobby explained.

"But... I have first aid training," Buck responded.

"And Eddie's a former combat medic, but he's not gonna be much use if he's passed out and Eddie's the patient now. You're too close to him to do things with a clear head," Bobby replied softly, "Buck, I get it. You don't want to let him out of your sight, but I promise you he's gonna be fine. Now, go sit with him and I'll go see about that ride."

"Alright," Buck agreed, biting his lip and knowing Bobby was right, even though he didn't want to admit it. After a moment, he turned and walked back to the ambulance to find Eddie still sitting on the bumper, but had been stripped of most of his clothes and was now wrapped up in several heavy blankets, though he was still shivering and had an oxygen mask still covering his mouth and nose, "oh, babe," Buck came to sit next to him and wrapped his arms around the mass of blankets his boyfriend was cocooned in.

"Cold," he slurred, leaning into Buck's body.

"I know," Buck gently rubbed his hand over Eddie's back, trying to use some friction to help warm him, "wish I could do more."

"Fee...feels...go...good," he mumbled, his teeth chattering as he tried to speak through the fatigue and mask.

Buck looked up at Hen and Chim, both sitting on the gurney in the ambulance. A few wires attached to Eddie were connected to monitors in the ambulance and just as he was gonna ask something, Chim sighed, "Eddie, your temperature has dropped again, your oxygen is still low, and your pulse is still weak. I don't like this."

"Sor...ry," Eddie choked out, trying to turn around to look at Chim.

"Isn't there anything we can do?" Buck asked desperately.

"Yeah, warm him up and get him to a hospital, so hopefully Cap still has the LAPD chopper on its way," Chim responded.

"No...chop...chopper," Eddie shook his head and reached up with his hand to tug the mask off, "no chopp...er," he repeated, trying to sound more normal, but his speech was definitely slurred, "I'll...be...okay."

"Eddie, you need medical treatment. The hospital has ways of warming up saline that we can't do here," Hen told him.

"Then...take...amb...ulance," Eddie sighed, turning to look at Buck, "flash...back... silv...er...star..."

Buck raised a curious eyebrow at Eddie, trying to figure out what he was getting at and then remembered the conversation that morning about Eddie's Silver Star and though he didn't know any details of how Eddie earned it, he had a feeling it involved a helicopter, "you don't want to go in a helicopter because you'll have a flashback of how you got your medal?" He asked and when his boyfriend closed his eyes, nodded, and curled into Buck's side, the young firefighter glanced up at Chim and Hen for help, before tightening his grip on Eddie and kissing his forehead, "baby, I'm sorry. The road is flooded and you need to get to the hospital soon. We don't know how long it will take for the water to clear out."

At Buck's silent request for help, Hen and Chim exchanged glances and Hen took a deep breath and dug around for a specific medication, "Eddie, we'd have to call the hospital to ask, but if you really can't be awake for the trip on the chopper, we should have enough to sedate you," she offered softly.

"It's definitely not recommended in this situation, but we've got to get you treatment sooner rather than later, and the hospital can reverse the sedation once you get there," Chim added, looking at his friend.

Eddie was not up for a fight and knew it would be the quickest way to get to the hospital, so he sighed, "do it."

~*~

When Bobby came to give them confirmation that the LAPD helicopter would be there in less than ten minutes, Chim got on the radio to the hospital to find out what dosage they'd need to sedate Eddie for the trip. Hen and Chim also moved away from the ambulance to give the new couple some space before they were separated again.

"That was a pretty big declaration you made," Buck murmured, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead and then his cheek, the only parts of his body currently not covered with a blanket of some kind.

"Don't have...to say...it back...but I meant it," Eddie shifted a little to look at him, "I love you."

Buck's heart swelled at the words again and he let a grin tug at his lips as he locked gazes with Eddie's chocolate brown eyes. Reaching up, he rested his hand on Eddie's dirty cheek, covered in mud and a little blood from a few cuts on his face, but before he could get any words out, the thunderous flapping of a helicopter nearby startled them.

Within just a few moments, the black and blue LAPD helicopter appeared almost out of nowhere and hovered above them.

Eddie tensed up and shifted closer to Buck, already feeling the anxiety build at the sound of the blades whipping in the air, "hate this..."

"I know," Buck murmured, watching as Bobby and a few others helped direct it to land in a nearby field, "I wish you didn't have to go and I'm sorry you do, but I promise it won't be for long. You need to get checked out so we can get you home to Christopher."

"Alright Eddie," Chim returned from his conversation, "the doc's not happy about this, but he gets it, so he gave me a dosage to give you to knock you out for the flight. Let's get going," he motioned to where Bobby was jogging towards them.

Just as he said that Buck had an idea, "just a second!" He exclaimed, kissing Eddie once more on the lips before letting go of him and running off.

"Buck now's not the time for games! We gotta go!" Chim yelled after he took off and then looked at Eddie, "you sure about wanting to be with him? It'll be like having two children."

Eddie smirked, "he's...worth it," he murmured, looking up at him, "we going?"

"Yeah, yeah," Chim moved around the ambulance, "I'm just making sure I have enough supplies in case you crash on the trip," he added, filling a syringe with the proper dose of sedative, "are you sure you need this?"

Biting his lip, he held up his hand and showed him the shaking, "not all...from being...cold."

Chim nodded, glancing at Bobby when he walked over, "everything ready?"

"Just waiting on you and Eddie. Where's Buck?" Bobby looked around, immediately worried that he'd taken off upset.

"Here!" Buck called out, returning with some clothes in his hand, "figured Eddie could put this on until he gets to the hospital," he admitted, holding out his uniform that he'd changed out of earlier in the evening before it started raining and he'd put on his turnout gear.

"Aw, sharing clothes already?" Hen smirked, as she helped Eddie stand up to unwrap from all the blankets around him.

With Bobby, Chim, Hen, and a few of the blankets, Buck helped Eddie change from the damp undershirt and boxers into Buck's much dryer clothes and once his feet were comfortably back in his damp boots, Buck took one of the blankets and wrapped it back around him, "better?"

Eddie nodded, hating being so needy, but glad the team was being helpful and supportive.

"It's great that he's got clothes on now, but I'm more concerned about him walking," Chim replied, looking at him, "Eddie, you gonna be able to walk if we help you or do you need to be carried."

"I can...walk, just need...time," he responded, already feeling better now that he was in some heavier clothes than the thin underclothes he'd had on.

"Can you give us a second?" Buck asked, glancing at their teammates.

"You've got a minute. Make it quick," Chim replied, as he, Hen, and Bobby stepped a few feet away to give them some space.

The new couple stood facing each other; Buck's hands still resting on Eddie's shoulders, holding the blanket in place. He could feel Eddie shivering still, but not as bad as before, so he took that as a good sign. He also hated he couldn't go along, but now that Eddie was getting sedated, Chim would have to be his plus-one for the ride, "I promise you, I'll be at the hospital as soon as we get back to the station," Buck whispered to him, moving his hands up to rest on Eddie's cheeks.

"Be careful," Eddie requested softly, leaning into his touch and reaching out to wrap his arms around him.

"I always am," Buck winked, pressing a kiss to his forehead briefly, before pulling back a little to lock gazes with him again, "you're not the only one who feels that way," he added, "Eddie, I love you and Chris more than anything in this world."

Eddie let a smile tug at his lips, nodding before pulling Buck closer so they could hug one last time, "love you, too. See you soon."

~*~

Watching Chim give Eddie the sedative in the chopper was tough because the amount worked pretty quickly and before the door was even shut, Eddie had slunk back into his seat next to Chim.

Once the helicopter lifted off the ground and began its journey to the hospital, Buck walked back to the firetruck and climbed inside to where he usually sat and kicked back. He was exhausted and had no desire to stand around waiting; he'd wait out the receding water in the comfort of the truck.

Buck wanted to close his eyes and sleep, but the minute he let his eyes drift shut, all the fears and worries from the day flooded his mind and he couldn't get settled. An unknown amount of restless time passed before the door opened and he looked in the direction to see Hen climbing inside to join him.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" She asked softly.

Glancing at his watch, he sighed, "not great. My boyfriend of like twenty-four hours is now being rushed to the hospital for hypothermia because he got stuck forty-feet below ground and I still don't even know how he got out," Buck sighed, "I couldn't go with him because he needed to be sedated and monitored by a paramedic on the way and every time I try to calm down, I can't help thinking about today and what could have happened."

"He's gonna be fine; he probably won't even get admitted; just get checked out and sent home to a hot shower and a good night's sleep," she promised, reaching out to take his hand in hers, "and I'm sorry you couldn't go, but I'm sure as soon as we get back to the station, Bobby will let you go. He'd already called in for extra help because of this, so there will be plenty of people to cover."

"I hope you're right because I'm done with this day. I want to go home and forget this day even happened," he muttered.

"I don't think that's completely true. _Someone_ made an awfully big confession earlier and I think _someone_ else said it back," she grinned, "you don't want to forget that."

"Okay, I want to remember those pieces," Buck's cheeks flushed a little, "but the rest can be forgotten. And now we're stuck here waiting for the road to clear out. It's shit."

Hen nodded and patted his leg, "I know, but we should be out of here, soon. They've already gotten the drill rig back up on its wheels and one of the trucks left when I got in here and it hasn't come back yet, so that's good news."

"Unless it got stuck," Buck muttered, sighing.

"Alright, Buckaroo, quit being Mr. Negative," she told him honestly, "it's not healthy."

"I'm more concerned about Eddie's health than I am mine right now, but I'll try," he responded, glancing into the darkness outside.

"Chim will call as soon as he knows more," she added, glancing up to the front of the truck as Bobby climbed in, "can we go yet, Cap?"

Bobby nodded as their driver climbed inside and started the engine, "yep, the road's finally clear enough for us to cross it!"

~*~

As soon as the wheels were moving, Buck pulled out his phone and saw TK's text, causing him to groan and quickly respond as his cheeks flushed.

**Buck:** Crap! The whole world saw?

**TK:** I wouldn't say the world, but it definitely has been replayed a few times on the news since the live coverage ended. How's Eddie?

**Buck:** Wouldn't know. Chim took him to the hospital on the police chopper because the road was covered in water. That was less than an hour ago and I haven't heard anything. We're finally able to cross the road and are heading back to the station. Whether Bobby likes it or not, I'm grabbing our stuff and booking it to the hospital.

**TK:** I'm sure Bobby will let you go without question. It's been a tough call. How are YOU?

**Buck:** I don't know. Worried about Eddie. We've only been together a day!

**TK:** Officially maybe, but you guys have been dancing around things for a while. And it's okay to be worried, but he's at the hospital. He's where he needs to be and he seems like a strong guy; he'll be okay.

Buck smiled at TK's last message and took a deep breath, trying to tell himself the same thing, but he wouldn't truly be able to calm down until he was with Eddie again.

**Buck:** I am trying to tell myself that, but I don't think I'll really believe it until I see him again. He... After the kiss, he told me... That he loved me.

**TK:** I'm surprised it took him 24-hours! Figured that would have happened as soon as you got together! Carlos and I waited a month after we finally got together to say it, but we've only known each other for a few months. You guys have known each other a lot longer!

**Buck:** Whoa! When did that happen? While you were here? Why didn't you say anything!?

**TK:** During the song we slow-danced to and I had other things on my mind that night, like getting him to bed, if you know what I mean!

**Buck:** Wanting sex doesn't mean you can forget to tell your best friend! Or you could have sent me a text, just like I did!

**TK:** Yeah, I guess. I'll remember that for our next milestone! Aren't you back at the station yet? You should be focusing on getting to Eddie. We can talk later.

**Buck:** We just pulled in and are parking now. We'll definitely talk later.

~*~

They were barely out of the truck when Bobby told Buck he could leave, knowing his youngest firefighter would be restless the longer he was apart from his best friend and now boyfriend.

Buck didn't take too long to shower and change from the mud-ladened turnouts since he'd given his uniform to Eddie and was only in his underclothes beneath his gear.

Once he was changed, he made sure he had his things and then opened Eddie's locker to get his clothes and personal items from it before heading out of the station with a promise to keep Bobby posted on how Eddie was.

It didn't take long for Buck to pull his Jeep into the visitor's parking lot at the hospital Eddie had been taken to and when he grabbed Eddie's bag and headed into the main entrance for the ER, he was surprised to see his sister waiting for him, "Maddie? What are you doing here?" Buck gasped, "are you okay?"  
  
"I'm fine," she promised, moving towards him to hug him tightly, "I'd heard what happened on the call today and Howie called me to pick him up and take him back to the station. He's in with Eddie now. Are you okay? I can't imagine what it was like today."

Buck finally let the emotions from the day spillover as he held his sister close, "honestly, I was trying to figure out how to tell Christopher that his dad was gone," he choked out, "when the hole collapsed I really thought we'd lost him and I would have to... to tell Chris and it was like the tsunami all over again."

"Oh, Evan," she rubbed his back, "you don't have to think that way," she whispered, "he's alive. He's gonna be okay."

"But at the time I didn't know that," Buck sighed, pulling back to wipe his eyes, "and I was... Maddie, we, um... Eddie and I just got together last night," he told her, deciding she should hear it from him instead of anyone else, "and I was worried I'd lost him and we'd just made it official and I swear the world hates me!"

"It doesn't hate you, but with all the things we Buckleys have been through recently, it's probably kicking us and telling us not to wait on things," she admitted, a light chuckle escaping her lips, "and I'm happy for you. I'm glad you guys are finally together. I couldn't handle the looks much longer."

"You, too?" Buck groaned, "did everyone see it except us?"

"I think so," she smiled, reaching up to brush her hand over his cheek, "but the important thing is that you guys finally did see it."

"Yeah, I guess," he nodded, taking a deep breath, "where's Chim?"

"He's in with Eddie. He said as soon as you get here he'd leave," she explained, "he's in ER room ten."

~*~

Buck hesitated a moment, but when his sister assured him she'd be fine, he checked in with the security guard and got a visitor badge, before making the short trek into the ER and followed the signs to room ten. He wasn't sure what he expected, but when he stepped up to the half-closed door and peeked around the pulled curtain, he was surprised to see Eddie sitting up, wrapped in numerous hospital blankets, so his head was the only part of him visible and he had more healthy color to him than when he'd last seen him, though his eyes were still droopy, "hey guys," he greeted, seeing Chim sitting in the chair next to his bed as he slipped the rest of the way into the room.

"Cariño," Eddie grinned brightly, perking up a little more at Buck's voice.

  
"Pet names already?" Chim smirked, "I think that's my cue to leave," the paramedic looked at Buck, "you gonna be able to take care of him or do we need to call in reinforcements?"

"I can take care of him," Buck promised, "thanks for hanging out with him, Chim."

Chim waved off the thanks, "that's what family is for," he patted the blankets near where Eddie's shoulder was, "get some rest man, and I'll see you soon."

Eddie nodded, "yeah, thanks. See ya."

With a final nod, Chim patted Buck's shoulder and slipped out of the room, leaving the couple alone, though they weren't really with the nurse's station just outside the door, "hey, babe. I, um, grabbed your stuff from your locker," Buck held up Eddie's bag and moved to set it on one of the empty chairs, before taking the seat that Chim had vacated and scooted it closer to him, "how are you feeling? What's the plan?"

"Well, I'm not dead unless I'm warm and dead, so that's a plus," Eddie smirked lightly.

"Not even funny, Diaz," Buck huffs, reaching out to brush his hand along his cheek, "but you're warmer, so hopefully that's a good sign."

Eddie leaned into the touch and smiled lightly, "it is," he assured him, "they warmed the saline and have been changing out blankets every once and a while. My temp is almost back to normal."

"Thank God," Buck sighed in relief, "don't scare me like that again."

"I'll do my best, but the same goes for you. I hate seeing you hurt," Eddie responded, shifting a little to free a hand from the blankets to reach up to join their hands together, "maybe we could be a little more careful?"

Buck squeezed his hand gently, glad to feel the warmth returning that hadn't been there earlier, "I'm in as long as we both agree to it."

Eddie nodded in confirmation, "I agree," he took a deep breath and then smiled at him, "I love you, Evan."

Standing up to get a little closer to him, Buck leaned in and pressed a kiss to Eddie's lips, "that's a promise sealed with a kiss and I love you, too, Eddie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~
> 
> A/N5: We hope you have enjoyed the chapter! Thanks for all the love and support! So sorry we haven’t done well with responding to comments, but we do read them and appreciate them all! They definitely keep us going!  
> A/N6: And don’t worry, we found it! It’s not our sanity that we were looking for, that is long gone, LOL. Centeast finally found the story she was looking for, for over a week!


	11. Our Son

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x15 - Eddie Begins; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot, and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Heads up - this chapter contains medical treatments that we came up with. It wasn’t clear in the show what exactly happened to Eddie and we are not medical professionals, so please don’t take any of this as medical advice - we were just guessing.

~*~

A comfortable silence fell over the new couple as the night wore on. As Eddie said, the nurse had come back to rotate blankets so the warmest one was closest to him, while leaving the others piled on him to keep him from losing any body heat he'd gain. Eddie answered a few of her questions and proudly introduced Buck as his boyfriend, the first time truly doing that, before she left the room, this time closing the curtain and door a little more to give them as much privacy as they could have at the time.

Buck found himself leaning over the railing of Eddie's bed, one of their hands still clasped together, while his other arm was resting on the bed, propping up his head as he focused on Eddie.

Eddie was exhausted from the events of the day and being so cold, but he didn't want to fall asleep. He wanted to go home to sleep, but he chose to take the downtime to rest and let his body recover.

Unsure how long it had been since Buck had arrived, Eddie couldn't help be glad to have him there, but also knew they technically still had a shift, "please tell me Cap let you leave," Eddie murmured.

"Nope, I just left when we got back to the station," Buck responded easily, smirking.

"Evan," Eddie groaned, shifting, "you better be kidding me! I'm laid up, and if he didn't let you leave then they're definitely short-handed!"

Buck laughed lightly and shifted to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips again, before retaking his seat, "relax, babe. Bobby let me leave," Buck promised, using his free hand to rest on the blankets covering Eddie's stomach, "I, um, wouldn't have been focused on work at all."

"Hey," Eddie let his thumb brush across their joined hands, "you could have called."

Shifting a little in his seat, Buck pulled both his phone and Eddie's from his pocket, "it would have been hard since I had your phone," he paused, biting his lip, "and um, I'm not your emergency contact or next of kin, technically, so they wouldn't have given me any information over the phone."

"Oh, yeah, that," Eddie nodded, taking a deep breath, "it's definitely time to make some updates to my emergency contacts and legal documents. I should have done that after Shannon passed away, but I had other things on my mind."

Buck nodded, "I know, and it's okay. We both have had a lot going on, but maybe it is something we should, um, talk about soon?"

"We should," Eddie agreed, "and aside from that, I'm coherent, they could have transferred the call to me. I'm gonna be here a few more hours and you look exhausted."

"Are you trying to make me leave?" Buck wondered, but before he could respond, a very attractive woman, with long brunette hair, wearing a pair of blue scrubs and lab coat walked in, rubbing her hands together as she massaged in the sanitizer she'd just put on her hands.

"Hey, Mr. Diaz. How are you feeling?" She asked, moving right over to the other side of Eddie's bed from where Buck was sitting, "and who's this with you?"

"Better," Eddie replied, "tired, but not as cold," he added, glancing at her, "and this is my boyfriend, Buck."

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Doctor Valentino," she nodded at him, and then turned back to Eddie, "tired is okay. You should try to get some sleep."

"Can I go home to do that?" Eddie begged.

The woman took a deep breath, resting one of her hands on the railing of his bed and the other on her hip, "I'm still considering options. You're responding well to treatment, but you're not out of the woods yet and I don't want to send you home too soon," she explained, gathering her thoughts, trying to piece all the information she had together, "if you continue to improve and your vitals are in an acceptable range, I'll discharge you in a few hours, okay?"

"Deal," Eddie smiled, "I do feel better. I'm not near as shaky and yeah, I'm tired, but it's not like it was."

"Good and I like that your temperature has come up, so let's keep it that way," she glanced over at Buck, "do you have any questions?"

"Not really. I'm just glad he's better. We didn't know..." Buck bit his lip, "it was a tough call tonight."

"You're a firefighter, too?" She wondered and at his nod, she continued, "I commend you guys for what you do and the little boy you guys saved is alive because of what you did, so thank you."

"We're just doing our jobs," Eddie replied honestly.

"I'm glad the kid is okay, but I could have done without this one getting buried alive," Buck admitted, looking at his boyfriend.

"And seeing you crushed under a firetruck is any different?" Eddie wondered.

The doctor glanced between them and resisted the urge to laugh at them, trying to remain professional, "I'll leave you, gentlemen, to chat. If you need anything, just let us know and I'll be by to check on you soon," she promised, deciding it was time to excuse herself so they could talk.

As soon as she walked out of the room, Buck glared at Eddie, who had watched the woman walk out of the room, "seriously? We just agreed we were going to be more careful and did you just check her out?" He hissed, "is that why you wanted me to leave?"

"You've got to be kidding me," Eddie groaned, rolling his eyes, "I wanted you to leave because you looked exhausted and you're just sitting here watching me rest. It's kinda boring. And no, I didn't check her out. She's my doctor," he retorted.

Buck took a deep breath, knowing the events of the evening had taken a toll on his emotions and he was trying to hold them back so he could be there for Eddie, so he nodded, "sorry. It looked like you were and I am tired, but I want to be here with you, Eddie. I can sleep later."

Eddie shifted a little over on the bed and let go of Buck's hand to pat the bed, "then come join me. I could use your body heat and we could both rest."

Considering it for a moment, "do you really think this is gonna hold two grown men?" He laughed lightly, standing up and shifted to lay down on his side next to him.

"Don't really care. After the night I've had, I don't wanna be too far from you either," Eddie replied, adjusting himself so he could lean against Buck's chest, "and we both need rest, so win-win."

Buck draped an arm over his boyfriend's cocoon of blankets and leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, "I'm glad you're feeling better."

~*~

Over the next few hours, Eddie's nurse did her best not to interrupt the men when she came in to change blankets or check on Eddie's vitals. Able to tell they both needed to be close, the staff tried to keep their room quiet and even the doctor gave them some space while monitoring his vitals from afar.

In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Buck snapped awake and in his surprise, almost rolled off the small bed, but was able to catch himself before he landed on the floor.

A light laugh erupted from the bed as Eddie looked at him, "I give it a three for style, and a ten for execution."

Shaking from his daze, Buck's cheeks flushed as he focused back on Eddie, "I told you those weren't made for two grown men."

The nurse who was currently in the room, laughed lightly, "actually, you'd be surprised at how often couples do this," she admits, "granted usually the patient isn't covered in layers of blankets to warm up, but they make it work sometimes."

"Hopefully we can get out of here soon and go home to my bed that's made for two," Eddie replied glancing at his nurse, "any news?"

"Not completely sure. Dr. Valentino is still considering it and your vitals have improved a lot, and now that you're awake, she might stop in shortly," she explained, "are you warm or do you want me to get another blanket?"

"I'm good, this one is a furnace; he's always warm; I swear it's like ten degrees warmer than a normal person," Eddie smirked, shifting a little, "are you part wolf?"

"Not that I know of, but I did grow up in Pennsylvania and spent a lot of time in New York, so I don't get cold as easy," Buck admitted with a smirk, "you grew up in Texas where it's normally a lot warmer. You don't do cold well, remember? Another reason why I should have gone down tonight instead of you."

"That's not usually the going down one would expect with his boyfriend, but we'll go with it for now," Eddie smirked.

Immediately, Buck's cheeks flushed a deep shade of red, ducking his head from embarrassment, knowing Eddie's nurse was still in the room, "Eddie! Now's not the time."

"Oh I've heard worse," the nurse grinned, "and have walked in on some interesting situations, so that's nothing. I'm gonna go let the doctor know you're both awake and maybe see if she's going to let you go soon," she added, nodding at them and slipping out of the room.

Once the woman was out of the room, Buck glanced at his boyfriend, "we should talk about that sometime," he admitted, "figure some things out."

Eddie nodded and shifted a little more on the bed and freed both of his arms, removing one of the blankets from the pile, "yeah, we do, but we have some time. I don't think I'm gonna be up for much activity for a few days."

Buck moved closer to his boyfriend and wrapped his arms around him, kissing him on the lips gently, "as long as I've got you in my arms, everything else will fall into place."

~*~

The ER wasn't overly busy, but there were a few patients that needed more immediate care than Eddie did at the time, so it took her a little while to get back to his room, but when she returned, a little after six-am, she had a stack of papers in her hands and the nurse followed her in with a wheelchair.

"Does that mean what I think it means?" Eddie wondered, a spark of hope in his voice.

"If you think it means I'm letting you go home, then yes," the doctor smiled, holding out the papers to him, "your vitals have stabilized and remained that way for several hours, so I'm not concerned about you dropping again. Go home, take a hot shower, drink and eat some hot things and I've given you a note to take the next week off. Follow up with your regular doctor if you notice anything lingering, but I'm pretty confident you're through the worst of it and just need some _rest_ for your body to completely recover," she explained, hoping they picked up on the extra hint she left there, "and you'll be good as new in a week or so. Questions?"

Eddie shook his head, "no, but thank you for everything," he replied honestly, "and as much as I'm stubborn, I know my limits and will take it easy," he promised, "and hopefully if I ever see you again, neither of us are working."

The woman laughed lightly, "considering I've seen you in here with patients being dropped off, we probably will, but I get what you're saying," she smiled at him, "and I agree."

She nodded at them and slipped out of the room, leaving the guys and Eddie's nurse, "do you need any help getting changed, or do you think you can handle it?" The nurse wondered, helping remove some of the wires attached to him and gathered supplies to remove his IV.

"No, I'll be good. Buck brought over my clothes from my locker, so I've got things to change into," Eddie admitted.

"Alright," she nodded at him as she placed some gauze and tape over the site his IV had been in and took everything to the proper disposal bins, "take your time getting dressed and whenever you're ready, we'll walk you out to the car," she explained, before slipping out of the room.

"Thank God," Eddie groaned, pushing the rest of the blankets off him and throwing his legs over the edge of the bed, "I really thought they were going to make me stay."

Buck had been silent through the interactions of Eddie with his doctor and nurse, but once they were gone and Eddie was sitting on the edge of the bed, Buck couldn't help stepping to him and throwing his arms around his shoulders, kissing him deeper than he had all night, "I'm just glad you're getting better," he murmured, needing a moment to gather his thoughts, now that much of the adrenaline had worn off and he was running on the short nap they'd taken.

Eddie returned his hug, tightening his arms around his boyfriend and soaked in his warmth, now feeling it more than he had earlier because he didn't have other blankets separating them. He also could tell his boyfriend was dealing with something in his head, so he decided to just give him a moment, before he tried to move on, "yeah, I'm gonna be okay and we're gonna go home and see Chris before he goes to school and then we're gonna sleep."

Buck nodded, taking a deep breath, "okay... Good idea," he murmured, "home?"

"Yeah, the house that you're not a guest in and never will be again," Eddie replied honestly, "you've been family a long time, cariño, and that's never gonna change," he promised, motioning to his bag, "can you give me a hand?"

Without hesitation, Buck reached for Eddie's duffel bag and set it on the bed, "I like the sound of that," he noted, helping pull out Eddie's clothes and shoes.

Reaching behind him, Eddie untied the hospital gown he had on and tugged it off his arms so he could put his shirt on, "good. Maybe one day, we can talk about you moving in officially."

Buck couldn't help the grin growing on his lips as he looked at his boyfriend, "sounds like an awesome plan to me."

~*~

Taking it slow, Eddie finally managed to get dressed and Buck gave him the jacket he had on so he didn't get too chilled when they went outside. While his nurse wheeled him out, Buck went to get his jeep and it wasn't long before they were driving back to Eddie's.

A little after seven in the morning, Eddie and Buck were climbing out of his Jeep and walking into the house, being greeted by Carla and Chris in the kitchen.

"Dad! Buck!" Chris exclaimed, jumping down from his seat.

"Christopher," Eddie smiled, moving towards him and fell to his knees in front of his son, throwing his arms around him, "hey, mijo," he murmured as he pressed a kiss against his forehead, "dad's had a rough night, but you just cheered me up."

Though Christopher didn't mind affection from his dad, at his words of 'rough night', the child pulled back and looked at him, now seeing the cuts on his face, the dirt that hadn't been washed off and puffy red eyes, "what happened?" He asked, reaching up to rest his hand on his dad's cheek.

Eddie looked at his son and then the time, knowing he did have to leave for school soon, "how about this. Why don't you let Carla help you get ready, while I go shower and before she takes you to school, I'll tell you," he suggested, not really wanting to let him go, but also knowing he couldn't miss school.

Carla and Buck stood back for a moment, letting the Diazs have their moment, but at Eddie's suggestion, Carla cleared her throat, "that's a great idea. Come on, Chris, you gotta finish up breakfast, and then you can get dressed."

"Okay, but are you okay?" Chris asked, looking back at his dad.

"I will be," he promised, kissing his forehead once more, before reluctantly loosening his hold on him so he could stand back up, "I love you."

Chris smiled at him, "love you, too, dad."

Eddie returned his smile and waited until Chris went back to sit down, before offering a 'thank you' glance to Carla, before moving into the bathroom, knowing Buck was right on his heels. As soon as he heard the door close, he pulled his shirt off and turned to look at his boyfriend, "can you get me some clean clothes?"

"Are you sure you'll be able to shower without falling?" Buck eyed him skeptically, "our little nap tonight wasn't really enough to recharge my batteries, let alone yours."

"I need to shower to get this mud off me and don't be gone long. Just grab a pair of sweats and a clean shirt and come back. I'll probably need help getting dressed. I'm definitely stiff and sore," Eddie murmured, unbuttoning his pants.

"Okay," Buck took a deep breath and bit his lip, "um..."

"What babe?" Eddie asked, dropping his pants and leaned on the sink to kick them off to the side, "sorry, but I need a shower."

"It's okay. I was, um, just wondering... Are you sure it's a good idea to tell Chris before he goes to school?" Buck asked softly, "he's your kid, so I don't want to tell you what to do or anything, but..."

"I don't want him to know at all, but I also don't want to hide it from him. And there were news cameras there and I'm sure they filmed the whole day, so in case anyone from school saw me, I want him to hear it from me," Eddie admitted honestly.

"Yeah, and it made national news. TK and Carlos were watching it in Austin and they saw the kiss on TV, too," Buck added nervously.

Eddie nodded and took a deep breath, "we need to tell him. I know we wanted to wait to give us a chance to figure some things out, but he's _our_ son. He should know."

" _Our_?" Buck's eyes widened, glad both of them had been keeping their voices low while not far from Chris or Carla's ears.

"You've been like a second dad to him since you met, Buck. It's damn time our relationship makes that official," Eddie told him honestly, before moving forward to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "clothes, please, and as soon as Chris leaves, we can talk and rest."

~*~

In less than thirty minutes, Eddie had taken a hot shower, gotten dressed with Buck's help and both men had settled on the couch in the living room, waiting for Chris to finish getting ready for school. At the sound of his crutches clicking across the hardwood floor, Eddie turned to smile at his son as he came towards him, "hey, buddy, ready for school?"

Chris nodded, taking a seat on the coffee table across from his dad on the couch, "yeah, so what happened?" He asked, not wanting to wait any longer to find out.

"Yesterday, a boy a little younger than you fell down a well and I went down to rescue him," he started, knowing the cliff notes version was best, "remember all the rain we had?" He wondered and when Chris nodded, he continued, "well, there was a lot of mud and water and I got stuck down under the ground for a lot longer than we expected, so I got really cold and wet. They had to take me to the hospital to warm me up, but I got better, so the doctor let me come home," Eddie smiled.

"Oh," Chris sat processing what he said, "were you scared?" He wondered, biting his lip to keep from getting too worked out yet.

"Oh, yeah," Eddie nodded, running a hand through his hair, "but you know what kept me calm?"

"What?" Chris asked softly, taking a deep breath.

"Knowing I got to come home to you and Buck," Eddie smiled at him, holding out his arms and Chris took the hint and moved into his dad's arms, sitting on his lap carefully, having left his crutches against the table, "because you're my good luck charm and he's my boyfriend," he added, glancing at Buck, before turning to look at Chris.

With wide eyes, a bright grin grew on Chris' lips, "really? Like for real?"

"For real," Eddie nodded, raising a curious eyebrow at the surprise from his son, "is that okay? I know we're kinda springing this on you along with what happened to me, but we don't want to keep this a secret from you."

Chris threw his arms around his neck, "I'm so glad you're okay and I'm really glad you and Buck are together. I thought you had been since Christmas, but I guess not," he told them, hugging his dad tightly.

"Really?" Eddie gasped, looking over at Buck, who wore his own grin, "and you're okay with that? Do you have any questions?"

"I'm totally okay with it," Chris kissed his dad's cheek and grinned again, "just means I get to have Buck around more often and maybe one day he can be my papa _for real_."

Buck's blue eyes widened in surprise as he slid closer to his favorite guys on the couch and looked at Chris, "what? Really?" He gasped, unsure if he'd heard him correctly.

"Yeah! I almost called you it before, but I didn't know if I could," Chris' cheeks flushed a little, "but I love you and want you to be my other dad, my papa."

Eddie looked between Buck and Christopher, the warmth swelling in his chest, not from his rising temperature, and snaked an arm around his boyfriend to pull him and Chris closer, tightening them in a loving hug, "we may have only been official since Sunday night, but see, I told you he's _our_ son," Eddie smiled at his boyfriend, and then looked at Chris, "and if you want to call him that, you can. That is if he is okay with it," Eddie added, glancing at Buck to see his reaction.

Tears had filled Buck's eyes, but he quickly nodded and leaned in to hug the two of them, "yeah, you can definitely call me that."

"Awesome!" Chris jumped at Buck to give him a tighter hug, "I love you, papa," he announced happily.

A tear slipped from his eye as he hugged Chris, "I love you, too, son," he whispered as he glanced at Eddie.

Eddie smiled and gave him a nod, "my two favorite guys in the whole world right here," he shifted to put his arms around them tightly, "and I hate to break this up, but you need to get to school, mijo," Eddie added.

Chris sighed, "do I have to go? I want to stay here with you guys!"

"I know you do," Eddie responded, "but we don't want you to miss your classes. I promise we'll be here all day and Buck's gonna be hanging out here a lot more with us."

"Cool!" Chris smiled as he pulled back from them, but before he reached for his crutches, he turned back to throw his arms around Eddie's neck, "are you sure you're okay?" He asked softly.

Eddie wasn't surprised at his reaction, but easily returned his hug, "I will be. I just need to stay warm and get some rest. I'll be back to normal in a few days," he assured him, "I promise, I'll be okay."

"Good," Chris nodded, finally pulling back to get his crutches, "bye dad, bye papa. Love you!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~*~
> 
> A/N4: Hope you all enjoyed it! We have really been having a blast writing this for you all! We also know this story only has a few more chapters to go, but we will be revisiting this universe in the future! Thank you for all the comments and support! We do read them and are encouraged by them to keep going, though we’re sorry we’re terrible at responding!  
> A/N5: We’re hoping to have our next update out in about a week, but Hamilton does come out Friday, so we’ll be watching it (a few times!) this weekend during some of our usual writing video chats. This might put our writing schedule behind a little, so please bear with us!


	12. Confirmation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x17 - Powerless; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot, and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Head’s up! We’ve changed the spoilers to 911 episode 3x17 - Powerless!

~*~

Eddie and Buck were relieved Chris happily supported their relationship. He also seemed to take the news of Eddie's accident well, but they planned to give him some time to see just how it settled with him and they hoped he didn't get worried or upset at school because of it.

After the three guys shared a tight hug, Carla reluctantly coaxed Chris from the two men, and she made Buck and Eddie promise to let her know if they needed anything, before she and Chris left the house.

Once they were gone, and the guys were finally alone, Buck shifted closer to Eddie on the couch and draped an arm around him, "hey, we should get you to bed."

"Only if you join me. You didn't sleep either," Eddie added, leaning into him, before giving in and pushing himself to stand up, "I don't think I could process anything right now and am beyond exhausted. You must be running on fumes, too."

Unable to deny what Eddie was saying, Buck took Eddie's hand and let him guide him into the bedroom, "you could say that," he agreed, noticing they hadn't made the bed from when they'd left for work the day before, "I've just been more concerned about you than myself."

"I'm here. I'm okay," Eddie replied, crawling into bed and pulling the blankets up over him.

Buck didn't want to bother changing at the moment, so he kicked off his shoes and climbed into bed with his jeans still on, more focused on wrapping his arms around his boyfriend and sleeping the day away, "you say that now, but it takes some time to get over all the fears I had last night, Eds," he murmured, reaching out to pull his boyfriend to him, settling Eddie's back against his firm chest, "and having you in my arms is definitely helping me get through them."

Eddie smiled as he got comfortable, his head resting on one of his pillows as he closed his eyes, "it'll take me a long time to work through everything that happened, but I'm glad you're here with me. I don't think I could have done this without you," he turned his head a little to look at his boyfriend, "I love you, cariño."

A grin tugs on his lips as Buck leaned in to kiss him, "I love you, too, and you know I'm gonna be there for you."

~*~

Surprisingly, sleep came quickly once the guys let their bodies relax under the covers, snuggled up together as close as they could be.

Several hours after falling asleep, Buck woke to the feeling of vibration coming from his pocket and quickly realized he still had his phone in it. Shifting his hips a little so it didn't stir Eddie, Buck carefully removed his arm from around Eddie's body to reach for his phone and pulled it out just as the call went to voicemail. Deciding whoever it was he'd call back later, he tucked the phone under his pillow and returned to his space next to his boyfriend, but before he could relax, his phone went off again, at the same time he could hear commotion in the house. " _What the hell?_ " Buck thought, glancing to see Eddie still sound asleep, " _good, stay sleeping._ " Buck tugged out his phone to see Chim calling for what looked like the third time, so he finally answered it with a whisper, "yeah?"

"Dude! Come out in the living room!" Chim snapped, "Maddie's freaking out."

Buck groaned, realizing he'd slacked on his duties of keeping everyone informed on Eddie and had a feeling he had more missed calls and texts from others looking for updates. Ending the call, he did his best to carefully pry himself out from behind Eddie and tucked the blankets back around him so he'd stay warm, before padding out into the living room to find Maddie and Chim.

"Evan!" Maddie rushed towards him, "are you okay? Is Eddie okay? You didn't call and you didn't answer any of my texts or messages! I called the hospital to find out what room Eddie was in and they told me there was no one admitted by that name, so then I freaked out, because I'd just seen you last night and things seemed..."

"Whoa, slow down," Buck groaned, his sisters freak out not something he could deal with right away, so he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, "I'm sorry. I fell asleep with Eddie for a little while at the hospital and then the doctor finally discharged him and we got back here just in time to see Chris," Buck explained, pulling back a little to look at her, "and then we had to tell him what happened because of the news, in case anyone at school saw Eddie on there and that also led to us making sure he's okay with us being together, even though I don't think we'd planned to tell him this soon, but he was excited and already wanted to call me Papa, so I'm not gonna complain," Buck finished, grinning at the last detail.

Maddie blinked in shock at everything he threw at her, "oh, Even, that's wonderful! I knew Chris would approve, but I didn't realize he would be ready to call you 'papa' so soon. How did Eddie take it?"

"I think we were both in shock, but he seemed to be okay with it. We went to bed right after Chris went to school, so we didn't talk much about it. I do plan to talk to him later, but he needs rest right now," Buck told her with a shrug, "how did you get in here, anyway?"

Chim held up his keys, "you're not the only one who has a key to Eddie's for emergencies," he smirked, "how is he?"

"Vitals were back to normal range when we left the hospital. He's tired, still a little cold, but his hot shower and sleeping I think has helped," Buck told him, rubbing his face a little now that he was more awake than he wanted to be at the moment.

"Good, I'm glad he's doing better," Chim nodded, "how are you holding up?"

Buck took a deep breath and leaned against the arm of the couch where just a few hours prior they had a conversation with Chris, "I'm a mess," Buck replied honestly, "but I'm better. Still pretty tired. Yesterday took a lot out of me."

"Oh yeah, not surprising," Chim agreed, "we all are pretty wiped from it. Cap even changed the schedule around and we've got tomorrow off, too. No one needs to be back until Thursday, and well, Eddie whenever his doctor clears him."

"I'll be sure to let him know," Buck nodded, taking a deep breath, his exhaustion returning quickly, which told him he needed to get some more sleep, "and could you pass on the news? I need to get some more sleep."

"Of course, Evan," Maddie nodded, hugging him again, "do you need anything? Does Chris need to be picked up at school?"

"No, Carla will be doing that. If you don't mind, could you go pick some clothes up for me? I figure I'll crash here until I go back to work to help Eddie out and I don't feel up for going home right now," Buck told her.

"I can do that," she smiled, kissing his cheek, "get some rest and we'll be back later, okay?"

"Yeah, but sometime after like five," Buck smirked, seeing it was only eleven in the morning, so they'd only barely gotten to sleep.

"We can do that," Chim confirmed, resting a hand on Buck's shoulder and one on Maddie's, "come on, Mads, let's let him get back to sleep."

~*~

After some well wishes and another hug between the siblings, Chim and Maddie left and Buck returned to bed, carefully climbing in behind Eddie again. When he saw his phone lighting up with more messages, he glanced at it and his eyes widened. There were over fifty unread texts and when he went to see who they were all from, he groaned when he saw thirty-two from TK alone. Many had come from the night before, but there was a long string from that morning. They'd started out cheery and hopeful, but Buck could quickly tell he was growing more frustrated by the lack of response from him, until the last message where he could tell TK had gone from frustrated to pissed.

**TK:** EVAN BUCKLEY! I swear to God, if you don't respond to this message by noon your time I'll be on the next flight to LA AND I'll bring dad! Don't make me send grandma over to Eddie's! I know where he lives, remember? Forget grandma, I'll send Lexi!

" _Ah, shit!_ " Buck groaned, quickly beginning to type a message to him, so he could make sure it was there by noon.

**Buck:** Please, God, don't send Lexi!! Or grandma! And you don't need to come back!

Once the message was sent, he knew he'd need to send another to give him some more details before he threatened him again, so he continued to type.

**Buck:** Eddie's doing alright. He spent several hours in the ER. His vitals stabilized and the doctor discharged him this morning. Got back to his place in time to tell Chris about the accident and us being together and now we're trying to sleep. I promise we're doing okay and when I get some more sleep, I'll call, alright?

He put the phone on the nightstand and plugged it in so it would charge next to Eddie's, before turning back to his boyfriend and snuggling up to him.

"You alright?" Eddie murmured, not even moving when Buck slipped his arms around him.

"Did I wake you?" Buck wondered, a sigh escaping his lips as he leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek.

"No. I heard Chim," he admitted.

"Chim used his emergency key to get in because they were worried about us. I was more focused on you, so I didn't keep everyone posted on how you were," Buck admitted, "and TK is pissed."

Eddie smirked, his eyes still closed, "I bet. Let's deal with that when we wake up. I need my heater back."

Buck laughed lightly, "is that all I'm good for anymore?"

"Not at all, but for this very moment, it's an added bonus," Eddie explained, moving his hand a little to grasp on to Buck's, "sleep now. Other stuff later."

~*~

When Eddie had first laid down, he knew he was exhausted, because of how fast he'd fallen asleep, but when Buck returned to bed after Chim and Maddie's visit, he had a feeling his body was feeling better, but he was worried what dreams would come.

Buck was hopeful by being there with Eddie, he could subconsciously help his boyfriend get through the nightmares that manifest from his ordeal. Unfortunately, a few hours after Maddie and Chim had gone home, he woke to Eddie breathing heavily, mumbling in his sleep and moving his arms around as if he was reaching for something. Immediately concerned, Buck woke up a little more and watched Eddie thrash around, while his words made no sense. Finally, Buck knew he needed to pull him into reality, so he reached out and firmly rested his hand on Eddie's shoulder, "Eddie," he called out, "Eddie, wake up. You're having a nightmare," he leaned over a little and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "come on, baby, wake up. You're okay. It's just a dream."

Eddie's eyes flung open quickly and he gasped in shock as he sat up quickly, "fuck," he hissed, panting heavily as he kicked at the blankets get them off of his legs.

"Hey, hey, it's okay, babe," Buck rose to gently rest his hand on Eddie's shoulder, "you're okay."

Tensing up at the touch, Eddie glanced behind him to see his boyfriend, so he relaxed a little and bit his lip nervously, "it felt so real," he choked out, feeling tears in his eyes, "but this time I couldn't get out."

Buck shifted and pulled him into his arms, "it was just a bad dream," he murmured, kissing him on the cheek, "you're okay, you got out."

Eddie snaked his arms around Buck and couldn't help the sob escaping his lips as he began to cry for really the first time since it all happened.

"Let it out," Buck whispered, letting him do what he needed to get through his emotions, "I'm right here," he promised, doing his best to keep his own emotions in check, but his own tears slipped from his eyes, "it was so scary, baby, but you're home, you're safe and you got to see Chris before he went to school. That keeps me going," he admitted honestly, rubbing his back a little.

At Buck's suggestion, Eddie took a deep breath and tried to shake the thoughts from his head, by remembering that he did come home and got to see Chris and hold him in his arms, something he didn't think he'd be able to do again, "yeah," he agreed, trying to take another calming breath, before shifting to look up at Buck, "thanks."

"You don't have to thank me," Buck assured him, "I love you and this is where I want to be," he added, reaching up to wipe Eddie's eyes and brush his hand gently over his cheek.

Eddie smiled lightly and leaned into the touch, "I love you, too. While I was down there, I thought about a lot," he admitted, "like when Chris was born and the arguments between Shannon and I," he bit his lip, "then it was about my parents wanting to keep Christopher because they didn't think I could take care of him on my own, later it was Christoper and I deciding to go to LA together and anything after that, whenever I thought about Chris, all the memories I could think of were with you, too. Was almost like my mind was confirming that we've been working towards this for a long time," he motioned between them, "and I'm so glad we're finally here."

A light grin tugged at Buck's lips at Eddie's words, "I completely agree with you," he first said, but then realized the rest of what Eddie said clicked and he turned to eye him more, "wait a second. Your parents wanted to take Christopher? What? Why?"

"That's a conversation for another time. Right now, I just want to enjoy being close to you and try to get some more sleep," he admitted, rubbing his hands over his face now that he'd calmed down.

As much as Buck wanted an explanation, he decided to give in for now, knowing Eddie needed to relax and it didn't seem like it was an easy topic, so he nodded, "alright, we can table that for now. Come on, let's sleep."

~*~

Sleep called the men back again, but Buck didn't stay asleep too long. He was used to running on just a few hours of sleep and he'd had plenty, so when he woke up again, he just laid there, watching his boyfriend sleep. Eddie had rolled away a little bit, now asleep more on his stomach, but their bodies were still close and Buck could tell that Eddie's temperature had come back to normal and now he was just recharging after such a draining ordeal.

Knowing he wouldn't get back to sleep, Buck carefully shifted out of bed and grabbed his phone. He was just about to the door when he realized Eddie might wake up again and need some comfort, so he didn't want to go too far, so he moved across the room to sit down near the closet to call TK.

The phone didn't even ring more than once before his friend was answering, "Evan! Oh my God! Don't do that to me again!" TK exclaimed.

Buck laughed lightly at his reaction, "sorry about that," he whispered, not wanting to talk too loud to wake Eddie, "I meant to call, but I just got side tracked at the hospital."

"I know, I get it," TK caved, "I was just so worried. I knew physically you were okay, but after everything later, we had no idea how bad Eddie was. How is he?"

"He's so lucky," Buck finally admitted, keeping his voice low, "just mild hypothermia. Nothing broken, no internal injuries. Just needs rest, warmth and fluids."

"Damn, he is lucky," TK agreed, "why are you whispering?"

"Because Eddie's still asleep and I don't want to go too far in case he wakes up again from a nightmare," he replied easily, "it's been a long few days. But, he's home and he got to hug Chris this morning, we told him about us and things are looking up."

TK sighed in relief, "good, I'm glad to hear that. I'm glad he got to come home and all that. How did Chris handle everything?"

"Really well. Chris is awesome and," Buck's cheeks flushed, "Eddie called him 'our son' and Chris has wanted to call me 'Papa' for some time."

"Whoa! Really? I have a nephew now?" TK gasped, his grin could be heard through the phone, "wait, so that means dad's a grandpa!" TK began laughing as he jumped up from where he was sitting and rushed forward, "dad!"

"What the hell are you doing?" Buck gasped, "where are you?"

TK grinned again, "at the station."

~*~

As soon as TK got that information, he immediately jumped up from where he'd been sitting in the gym and dashed across the upstairs to the balcony overlooking the engine bay. There, he saw his dad talking with Judd, while Paul was talking to Marjan and Mateo.

"Wait! I need to see his face!" Buck exclaimed, "video chat!"

"No, I'll do you one better," TK replied easily, looking over the railing, "hey, Paul! I need you to record my dad's reaction to something," he called out, catching the firefighter's attention.

Paul raised a curious eyebrow at him, but pulled his phone out and turned it to record a video and when he gave TK a thumbs up, TK grinned, "dad!" TK started, seeing his dad looking at him from where he was, "guess what?"

"I have no clue, but what's with all this?" Owen wondered, looking at his son and then to Paul.

"You're a grandpa!" TK announced loudly.

The shocked expression on his dad's face was exactly what he was hoping to see, then at the confused looks of his coworkers, Mateo spoke up first, "wait, so, is Carlos pregnant?"

"Probie, did you inhale too much smoke on your last call?" Marjan laughed, "even I know that Officer Mexican God can not get pregnant," she retorted, looking up at TK, "I thought you were an only child."

"Biologically I am," TK shrugged.

"Wait, so did you get a girl pregnant before you and Carlos got together?" Judd asked, still unsure how to process what was going on.

"Ew, God no," TK shuddered, " _my_ little firefighter only knows how to put out fires with hoses."

At that response, even Buck let out a laugh, still trying to keep from waking Eddie, but he could only imagine the faces being made at that.

"TK!" Owen snapped, "that's bordering on inappropriate! Just tell me how in the world I'm a grandfather before I go make an appointment to get my hair colored again!"

"Wait, you dye your hair?" Mateo asked, earning a slap from Marjan to quit with the jokes.

"Eddie has a son who's now calling Evan 'Papa'," TK finally caved, giving up with the joking around.

Owen's eyes widened, "whoa! Really? Like, for real?"

"Oh yeah, for real," TK confirmed, nodding at Paul to stop recording, "thanks Paul, can you send that to me?" He asked and when Paul promised to send it, TK waved and moved back to where he had been, "as soon as Paul sends me the video, I'll send it to you."

"Great, thanks!" Buck sat back and laughed lightly, "so, now the entire station knows."

"Sorry, but I really wanted to catch dad off guard. I really thought I'd be the first one to have kids and he's always saying things like he's not old enough to be a grandpa," TK admitted, blushing, "I'm happy for you, I really am and I know he will be, too, but that was priceless."

"Thanks. I'm glad my new found family could be your entertainment," Buck smirked.

"Alright, when do I get to meet my grandson?" Owen asked, making his way upstairs and over to where TK was, "I'm assuming Evan is on the phone."

TK nodded and pulled his phone away from his ear and put it on speakerphone, "dad's here, Ev," TK told him.

"Great! Hey, dad! I was just about to ask TK when he and Carlos planned to have kids," Buck retorted.

"What?" TK gasped, "we just got together! And we've only known each other a few months. From what I know, you and Eddie have been head over heels for each other for years, so this was long overdue!"

"Children, now is not the time to debate relationship lengths. I hear I have a grandson, I need details," Owen sat down on the workout bench with TK, "so, spill."

"Eddie has a nine year old son named Christopher. He's so smart, witty and fun to hang out with. He's been through a lot in his young life with Cerebral Palsy, but he's just so cool! He never feels sorry for himself and always lights up the room," Buck sighed in happiness, "I've, uh, been helping out with Chris since just after Eddie and I met, but neither of us realized what we were feeling was more than just friends and it took Carlos and TK's visit for us to see where our problem was. Thanks for that, TK."

"No problem. Like I said, I'm happy for you," TK replied, smiling at his dad. 

"And I am, too. He sounds like an awesome kid and I look forward to meeting him and Eddie. And of course, seeing you again. It's been too long, Evan. When are you coming to visit?" Owen asked hopefully.

Buck thought for a moment, unsure exactly when they'd be able to fit it in, but then remembered something, "I'm not sure. Right after school gets out, Chris might be going to camp for a few weeks, so I might be able to talk Eddie into taking a little vacation. After that, I'm not sure. Probably wouldn't get a lot of time to take off together, but we might be able to do a long weekend or something. You guys could always visit us, too."

"He has a point," TK agreed, "well, let's talk plans and figure something out. I'm sure I can pull the old man away from the station for a few days to visit his other son."

"You act like I'm a workaholic," Owen bumped his son's arm, "I take vacations."

"Good. Then we'll figure something out," TK smirked, then noticed a text from Carlos come in wanting to know if he'd heard anything about Eddie, "Carlos just asked if I had any news, so I'm gonna go call him. But keep in touch, Evan. Call if you need anything."

~*~

When the guys hung up from their call, Buck stood up and moved back to the bed, setting his phone aside and gently laying back down. He wasn't tired, but that didn't mean he couldn't relax in bed with Eddie.

"We don't know if Chris is going to camp," Eddie murmured, turning to lay on his side facing Buck.

"I thought you were sleeping," Buck sighed, "sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"You didn't. I'm starting to get bored of sleeping and if I sleep the day away, I won't get any sleep tonight. Besides," Eddie glanced at the bedside clock, "Chris will be home soon and I'd like to be awake and spend some time with him."

Buck nodded, "well, until he gets home, we can stay right here and order something for delivery for dinner so we don't have to cook."

Eddie reached out and draped an arm over Buck's abdomen and nodded, "sounds like a good plan to me."

~*~

Over the next two weeks, the new couple kept their life low-key. Eddie had to take it easy, but his doctor had cleared him to go back to work and he'd been back officially for a week.

That specific shift found the team chasing and then wrestling a hot air balloon to the ground to rescue a child stuck inside alone and thankfully it turned out okay, but something Buck had said stuck with Eddie and he wanted to talk to him about it, so once they were back to the station and sitting on the couch together, Eddie brought it up, "so, how did you know that 911 gets a lot of calls for hot air balloons?"

Buck bit his lip and took a deep breath, wishing he hadn't said anything because that was from a time in his life he'd rather forget, "um, do we have to talk about it?"

"I guess not, but if Maddie didn't tell you, then who did?" He wondered.

Since he'd piqued Eddie's interest, Buck knew he wouldn't be able to avoid the topic, "Abby told me," he sighed, "I tried to take her on this romantic date in one once, but then there was a family emergency, so I understand why she had to leave before we went up in it, but still it's something I don't like to think about."

"Oh," Eddie bit his lip, unsure exactly what else he could say, so for the moment, he draped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulder and kissed his cheek, "well, her loss is my gain, but just promise me next time you get near one you won't take a flying leap into it and put yourself in danger while it's out of control."

"You guys were all grabbing lines and after I jumped in, even Bobby jumped up, so it wasn't just me," Buck retorted, turning to look at him.

"True, and I like him, but I _love_ you, and as your boyfriend, I think it's fair that I tell you that was reckless, and pretty hot," Eddie added, wanting him to know he wasn't _that_ mad, but concerned.

Even though they were at work and should keep the PDA at bay, Buck shifted a little to lean more into Eddie's side and pressed a kiss to his cheek, "I can promise you I can show you what _hot_ is tonight."

Eddie groaned a little, "I wish that was the case, but I'm working a 24 today. You're the one working a 12," he murmured.

"What?" Buck gasped, then sighed and sunk against him, "damn it! I forgot about that."

"When we signed the paperwork for HR about our relationship, remember Bobby saying he'd try to give us some nights off at the same time, but he couldn't guarantee that? This is just one of those nights," Eddie reminded him, rubbing his back, "but Carla is dropping Chris off at school, so when I'm off, I can swing by your apartment and we can hang out until I have to go get Chris from school."

At the mention of Christopher, Buck grinned, "I'll join you, because I wanna spend time with him, too."

"Of course," Eddie assured him, "I would never keep you two apart," he laughed lightly, "sometimes I think you want to spend more time with Chris than you do me."

"I love my Diaz boys equally, but I don't get to see him as much as I see you," Buck noted, kissing his boyfriend once more before pulling away, knowing they couldn't really let things go any further without someone interrupting.

"You could if you moved in," Eddie responded without missing a beat.

"Whoa," Buck's eyes widened, "is that an invitation or are you just saying it for conversation?"

"I wouldn't just say that. It's an open invitation," the older man replied, taking Buck's hand in his, "you don't have to make a decision now, but whenever you're ready, our door is open."

Buck squeezed their joined hands briefly before smiling at him, "okay, give me some time to think about it, okay? I love you and I do want that one day, I just need some time to think."

Eddie nodded, "I understand. Take all the time you need. I love you, no matter what."

Buck returned his nod, "thanks. Love you, too."

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Lots going on in this chapter, but we hoped you liked it! Sorry we haven’t been able to get back to many comments. We do read them and are super encouraged by them to keep going, but we’re both keeping busy in our personal lives; one of us also started another Masters program, so we’re trying to balance writing within all we also have going on.  
> A/N5: Sadly this story is almost to the end. We have a few more chapters left to go, but don’t worry! We already have plans to turn this into a universe and in the future, add one-shots to go along with it. Also, if there’s something you’d like to see us write, either in this story’s universe, 911, 911: Lone Star, and / or Schitt’s Creek, leave it in the comments! We’ll definitely see what we can do!  
> A/N6: As far as we are concerned, episode 3x16 didn’t happen in this universe. We don’t feel it fits well into our storyline, so for this universe and any stories connected to it, the only thing we’ll be referencing from this episode is the case Athena deals with that arcs into the last few episodes of the season.


	13. Future

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x18 - What’s Next?; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> A/N3: Update to the 911 (TV) episode! Now it’s spoilers up until the season finale 3x18 - What’s Next?!

**June 12, 2020**

TK couldn't help pacing excitedly in the baggage claim at Austin's airport, while Carlos sat calmly on the bench nearby, "TK, why are you so nervous? It's just Buck and Eddie," he admitted, "I'm glad they're coming to visit, too, but there's no need to be nervous."

"I'm not nervous," TK huffed, moving back to stand near his boyfriend, "I just hate waiting," he glanced at his watch, "and their flight was supposed to land 20 minutes ago, but the board," he motioned to the large TV screens displaying all the inbound flights, "says it's delayed, but it doesn't say how long and if they're still in the air, then they can't have their phones on..."

Carlos stood up and wrapped his arms around TK, hoping the touch would help calm him, "hey, whoa, slow down. You're jumping way ahead of yourself. I'm sure there could just be another plane landing on the same runway and they have to give it space. Or maybe there isn't room for the plane at the gates. There are lots of easy reasons why it's delayed. Just take a deep breath."

Taking his boyfriend's advice, TK inhaled and held it for a moment, before exhaling as he curled into Carlos' embrace, "I'm trying. I just want them here. A lot has gone on with them the past few months and I want to hug them and make sure they're really okay."

"And I'm sure you'll be able to do that very soon," Carlos assured him, glancing around for any familiar faces. As he glanced towards the escalators, he saw two figures stepping onto it, one with a backpack slung over their shoulder, the other with a duffel hanging over theirs, but by their joined hands, there was no mistaking they were a couple. With a grin, Carlos turned so TK's back was to them as he pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's cheek. Lifting a hand, he silently waved the guys over and grinned a little as he pulled back from his boyfriend, "relax."

"Easy for you to say! You and Eddie tease us about being clumsy... Oh God!" TK's eyes widened, "what if something happened on their flight and they're..."

"Aww, are you worried about us?" Buck's voice chimed in from a few feet away, able to hear part of what TK was saying.

TK's eyes widened and jumped in shock, whipping around and immediately running at Buck to throw his arms around him, "you're here!"

"That was the plan," Buck laughed lightly as he returned TK's hug, "hey, bro."

"Hi!" TK grinned, "the flight status said 'delayed', so I thought you weren't here yet."

"Oh, yeah, we landed, but had to wait for space at the gate," Buck explained, "and then we had to make a pit stop because I refuse to use the bathroom on a plane unless absolutely necessary."

"Which I'm still confused about," Eddie admitted.

"Eddie!" TK moved from Buck to fling his arms around his best friend's boyfriend.

"Well, you didn't help rescue a couple who tried to join the mile high club and got stuck in the bathroom when the plane crashed on the beach in LA," Buck responded shaking his head as he greeted Carlos with a handshake.

"Eddie, I'm so glad you're okay! You had us worried there," TK told him as they pulled back from their hug, then turned to Buck, "that's one call I have not been on; a plane crash."

"I don't recommend it. It's pretty tough," Buck replied, shrugging, "so, what's the plan?"

"Well, we thought of an early dinner first and then a stop at the station to introduce you to the crew, before we head back to mine and dad's place," TK explained, looking at them, "do you have luggage?"

"Yeah, I'll get them," Eddie replied, handing over his bag to Buck, before moving towards the baggage claim as bags from their flight were beginning to spill onto conveyor belts.

"So, how's it going?" TK grinned, raising a curious eyebrow at Buck when Eddie moved away.

"Great!" Buck responded, as his cheeks began to flush, "really great. How _are_ you guys?" He wondered, knowing if they were asking him, he could easily return the question.

TK and Carlos exchanged glances as their own cheeks flushed, but TK responded, "well, no complaints here, especially since I have an underwear model for a boyfriend."

Carlos' eyes widened as his face deepened in color and shook his head, unsure what he could even respond with.

"I'll keep a lookout for that ad," Buck winked at Carlos, before Eddie returned, "though I prefer a man who knows how to use a hose and Eddie sure has skills."

"I don't even want to know what you guys are talking about," Eddie muttered, glancing at all three men with flushed cheeks, "shall we go before we embarrass ourselves?" He wondered, rolling a medium-sized suitcase towards Buck.

"You'll have to excuse him. He's been a little on edge since we dropped Chris off at the bus this morning for camp," Buck responded, patting Eddie on the shoulder.

"I'm not on edge. I'm just worried about him. This is the first time he's been away from home for more than a few nights without me," Eddie retorted.

"Well, if Chris is anything like the way you guys describe him, he's gonna be fine," TK assured them, "he seems like a very smart and independent kid. He'll have a blast."

"Gee, where have I heard that before?" Buck asked, leaning in to press a kiss to his boyfriend's cheek before they began their trek to the car.

"Welcome to Texas guys!" Carlos announced a few moments later, deciding to change the subject.

"Thanks. It's one state I've never been to," Buck noted, "but apparently I have a lot of reasons to come here now," he glanced at Eddie and then to TK.

"Good," TK nodded, "because Texas is a lot closer to LA than New York is, so you can't use distance as an excuse as to why you can't visit."

Buck laughed lightly, "it definitely is. But the same goes for you. LA isn't that far away."

TK thought for a moment, "well, if Eddie has family in Texas he doesn't have to see when he visits, then I guess I can visit LA without visiting family there."

"I'm seeing my sister sometime this week," Eddie chimed in, "but that's it. I refuse to visit my parents right now."

"Do they not know about you guys?" Carlos wondered.

"They don't, but not for the reasons you think," Buck explained, so Eddie didn't have to explain, "Eddie and his parents have a difference in opinion on the needs of Chris and the last few times they've tried to talk to him, the conversation usually ends with them wanting Chris and Eddie to move back to Texas, or just to take custody of Chris and move him back to them, so it's a sore subject."

"Oh, man, I'm sorry to hear that," Carlos patted Eddie on the shoulder, "I hope they realize one day that being with you guys is the best for him. No kid should be taken away from their parents unless something terrible is going on and I definitely don't think that's the situation here."

"It's not and thanks," Eddie replied, "as for them knowing about me and Buck, if they don't, I'd be surprised, considering I don't hide what I say on Facebook unless they're really oblivious," he laughed as they came to a stop at a black Jeep that Carlos unlocked from the keys he had in his pocket.

"Wow, nice Jeep, Carlos," Buck admired the black SUV, "I had no idea you drove one, too."

"He doesn't. He has a sexy car," TK grinned, slipping his arms around Carlos' waist from behind as Carlos opened the rear hatch, "we've got my dad's SUV this week while you guys are here. Carlos normally drives a Camero, so dad's using it."

Buck began laughing hysterically when he heard that, "oh my God! Dad's driving a Camero? I have to see that!"

"I know, right?" TK joined in with laughter.

Eddie and Carlos exchanged confused glances at their boyfriends while loading the luggage into the SUV, "what did I miss?" Carlos wondered.

"I'm not sure," Eddie whispered, "but I think we should cut off their caffeine intake."

"Good idea," Carlos held up his fist and Eddie bumped his against Carlos' as he closed the back end of the SUV, "that's gotta be why TK's so jittery."

"You do know we're right here?" TK asked curiously, glancing at them, "we can hear you."

"That's the point, guys," Eddie laughed and now that his arms were free of luggage, he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, "what's so funny about what Owen drives?"

"Because I've literally never seen him drive anything besides SUVs," Buck explained, melting into Eddie's embrace, "hello Mr. Diaz," he murmured, pressing a kiss to his boyfriend's lips.

TK threw his arms around Eddie and Buck before Eddie could respond, "I'm so happy for you guys! So much has happened since we saw you in April! I know Evan and I have talked about some of it, but I'm definitely looking forward to hearing about everything he hasn't told me yet."

"Then it's a good thing we're here for a week because a lot of shit has gone down. At work and in our personal lives," Buck responded, sighing, "and somehow meshing together, too."

"Okay, you definitely have to explain that," TK told him, "because I feel like I missed something big."

"That's an understatement," Eddie responded, guiding the two guys towards the side of the car where Carlos was standing, "come on, let's get going. We only have a week and I'd rather not spend it all in the airport garage."

~*~

Buck and TK ended up sitting in the backseat of the SUV, while Eddie and Carlos carried on a small conversation about Austin while they drove around to find someplace to eat.

"So, how are you doing?" TK slid closer to Buck in the backseat, looking at him.

"I'm good," Buck replied honestly, smiling when he glanced at Eddie, "we're good. How are you? How's being back at work?"

"It's good. The first few weeks back I was on light duty, but now I'm really back to it and," he showed off the range of motion his left shoulder had, "no pain."

"Do you ever get phantom pains? I do sometimes with my leg and man it is weird," Buck responded, "but I'm glad you're back to full duty. How's the team with it?"

"Fine. I think they were a little overly cautious at first, but it's been long enough that they see I'm back completely," TK replied, "speaking of getting hurt. How's Athena?"

"She's one badass woman," Buck admitted, "she's healing. Still in a sling, but the bruising is almost all gone. Not sure how long she'll be off work, but I'm just glad she's okay. Sure, we got off on the wrong foot, but she's like a mom to me now. Seems fitting, since Bobby's like a dad to me."

"I'm glad she's doing okay. When you told me you all heard her in the fight, I could easily put myself into Bobby's shoes, which scared the crap out of me. I don't know what I would have done if it'd been Carlos. Seemed like Bobby handled it much better than I ever could," TK looked up to Carlos.

"Honestly, I think Bobby went numb the more he listened and when we got there, I'd never seen him move so fast with an ax," Buck took a deep breath, "and we all grabbed something and headed inside. The cops even tried to stop us because the scene hadn't been 'cleared' yet, but nope. We threw caution to the wind and just kept going. Thank God she was alive, but damn, she was hurt. Bobby just barely held it together and I heard after a few days of her being in the hospital, Bobby and Athena's ex took a sledgehammer to the fireplace in their living room to let off some frustration, so somehow I think you'd be the same. We all at some point have to do that."

TK shook his head in disbelief, "yeah, I guess," he thought about just after the tornado, when his dad had gone into a collapsed building to rescue a few kids and the moment they lost contact, he did his best to stay calm, "probably. I don't know. I think it would depend on the situation."

"True. And at least if something ever did happen," Buck glanced briefly at Eddie, "you at least know you love each other. When Eddie got buried under 40-feet of earth, we hadn't told each other yet."

"Which I made sure happened the minute I was back topside," Eddie chimed in from the front seat.

Buck reached up and rested his hand on Eddie's shoulder, "I know you did, but if something different had happened..."

"Don't do that," Eddie cut him off before he could continue, "we can't live in the past and what could have happened. Yes, I could have gotten hurt. We could get sideswiped on the highway by this dumb-ass semi-truck that keeps swerving over into our lane, too," Eddie motioned outside the car, "or when you were playing Spiderman outside of the train that wasn't even anchored, you could have fallen or it could have tipped over and crushed you."

"Wait, what?" TK gasped, looking at Eddie, before turning to look at Buck, "what is he talking about?"

"Did you guys hear about the Phoenix to LA train that derailed just outside of LA?" Buck wondered and when both Carlos and TK nodded, he continued, "we responded to that. So did several other stations, but there was one train car that had tipped at such an angle that it was almost vertical. Hen and Chim stayed down on the ground to help all the other medics and people, but Eddie, Bobby, and I had to climb up the inside of that train car to get to the top to find Sam, Abby's fiancé."

"Abby? What?" TK squawked, " _the_ Abby?" 

"Yeah, that one," Eddie confirmed from the front seat, "she was on the train with her fiancé. She was down on the ground when we got there and she was trying to get up into the car, but it wasn't safe. She must have seen the '118' on my helmet because then she asked me if I was with the 118. I felt like giving her a stupid comeback about just borrowing it for a Halloween costume, but then Buck walked up and recognized her. Definitely not how I pictured meeting my boyfriend's ex."

"It's not how I wanted to see her again or to find out she was engaged, either," Buck added, "we ended up finding her fiancé pinned pretty badly at the top of the car. I had made the stupid mistake of promising I'd bring Sam back to Abby," he sighed, "and the only way to save him was to cut through the side of the train from the outside to rescue someone else who was pinned by the same beam he was pinned by. Otherwise, we would have had to make the tough choice between him or the other person, because both had bad injuries and saving one inside, would result in killing the other, no matter what we tried."

"And you snapped at Bobby in the process, too," Eddie added for him.

"Yes, I did, and I apologized for that. It was a tough call," Buck replied.

"Wow," TK shook his head, "I had no idea. Wait! Why didn't I know? You should have called me! And you could have gotten hurt!" TK slapped Buck in the shoulder lightly, still trying to make a point, "dude! That was over two weeks ago!"

"I know, I know," Buck sighed, "I'm sorry. I just have had a lot going on the past few weeks and I knew we were coming here, so I figured I'd be able to tell you this week and I needed some time to process Abby showing up. We met once about a week ago and talked. I finally gave her a piece of my mind about leaving how she did and she told me at first planned to come back. But after a while, she realized if she would have come back, she'd end up going back to her old life and she didn't want to do that. She pretty much told me that I reminded her of her past and I wasn't good enough for her present. I learned a lot about myself because of my relationship with her, but thanks to how she treated me, I moved on with someone who wants to be with me and doesn't feel like I drag them down the wrong path, so I say good riddance to her," Buck finished, glancing at Eddie.

Eddie turned a little in his seat and reached for Buck's hand, "and as I've said numerous times, her loss is my gain. You deserve all the happiness in the world. I hope Chris and I can always provide that because you are more than enough for us. We want you in our lives and we love you for who you are. That's never going to change," he promised, lifting their now joined hands to press a kiss to his hand.

TK couldn't help grinning brightly at Eddie reassuring Buck, reminding him of how Carlos would sometimes reassure him when he'd get self-conscious about their relationship or worry he wasn't good enough because of how Alex had treated him. Reaching up, he rested a hand on Carlos' shoulder and smiled, "Evan, I think we won the lottery with these two. Nothing in our past can compare to how happy these guys make us."

Buck nodded in agreement, smiling happily, "I completely agree."

~*~

A contented silence fell over the car as Eddie and Buck took in the sights of the city, while Carlos maneuvered the SUV through the streets of Austin, until finally coming to a stop at a very popular Texas barbecue restaurant where they could have a late lunch.

Now that TK had lived in Austin for a few months, and that Carlos and Eddie were from the state, they were all familiar with the food served there, but they knew introducing Buck to it would be fun since he'd never had true Texas barbecue.

"Alright, we need to lighten the mood. Let's see who has the funniest call story," TK commented as the four of them were taking their seats.

"Oh, that's easy! Before Eddie joined us at the 118, Bobby and I had a call on a full moon where this guy was having horrible abdominal pain. It wasn't getting better, so while we were transporting him to the hospital, he felt something moving under his leg and I found a tapeworm coming out, so I just helped pull it out."

"Damn! How did I not hear about this?" Eddie asked, "I missed all the fun. And here I was thinking about that call we had where that fashion blogger thought she had a zit on her cheek and when she went to break it a maggot of some kind came out."

"That's right! I forgot about that one," Buck smirked leaning into him like he always did when they were trying to keep the PDA to a minimum, "Eddie, put your phone away, that's rude," Buck added, reaching for the device currently in his boyfriend's hands.

"Hey! It's my sister, give me a second," he looked curiously at the screen and then shrugged and pocketed his phone, "alright, you heard our gross slash funny ones. What about you guys?" Eddie wondered, looking at TK and Carlos from across the table.

"I don't know if we can top that," Carlos laughed.

"Well, there was that one call that we answered where a bull semen storage facility was on fire and the liquid nitrogen in the tanks to keep the semen cold was warming up and causing the tanks to be projectiles. Some were shooting out of the building and others were shooting around inside."

"Okay, I'm officially glad I'm a cop and not a firefighter," Carlos retorted, shaking his head, "you guys have had some weird calls."

"I'm sure you have had some odd ones yourself," TK laughed lightly.

"Aside from the food delivery guy poisoning an entire office with mercury because they didn't tip well, I can't think of one that could top any of your stories," Carlos explained.

"Your career is still young. You've got plenty of time," Eddie responded with a chuckle.

Before anyone could say anymore, a young brunette woman walked over to their table, carrying a notepad, "I'm sorry for the wait, guys. Welcome in. I'm Sophia, I'll be your server today," she greeted, glancing around at them, "I see the hostess got you started with some water, can I get you guys anything else to drink?" She wondered, letting her eyes connect with Buck's crystal blues, "wow, your eyes are gorgeous! I could get lost in them for days," she gasped, then blushed, "I'm sorry! That was so unprofessional."

"It's okay," Buck blushed, "um, but thanks," he replied, trying not to let his cheeks flush at the compliment. Clearing his throat, he leaned forward, "I think for now we'll stick with water, but can we get some lemons for them?"

"For you, anything," she winked at him and slipped away.

"Aww, someone's got a crush on you," TK teased as soon as she was gone.

"Shut up, Tyler," Buck snapped, looking at Eddie, "I swear, I did nothing."

"I'm well aware," Eddie muttered sarcastically, draping an arm around Buck's shoulders, "though she does have great taste; your eyes are gorgeous," he added, leaning in to press a kiss to his lips, "but in them, I only find my way home."

Buck melted into his touch, "I love you."

"Love you, too," Eddie promised, leaning back in his seat, "do you know what you want to order?"

"Oh, food," Buck laughed, "I haven't even looked at the menu."

"Well, if you could keep your hands off each other for five minutes you could," TK laughed as their server returned, "or we could order a bunch of stuff to share," he glanced at Carlos, "suggestions?"

"That would probably be best, so Buck can try more," Carlos agreed.

"Do you guys know what you'd like to order?" Sophia asked as she set down small cups of lemon wedges for them.

"I think we'll let Carlos order for us all," Buck replied, trying not to make eye contact with her.

Carlos rattled off a variety of meats and dishes they could all share and with a nod, she excused herself to put their order in and all the guys settled down. Before anyone got too comfortable, she returned and pulled up a chair from a neighboring table, then sat down right next to Buck.

Buck's eyes widened at how forward she was and he glanced at Eddie who just laughed and shrugged, before taking a drink of his water.

"Hi!" She greeted, holding out her hand to him.

"Be nice, Evan. Shake her hand," TK smirked.

Glaring at his best friend, Buck took her hand and shook it, "hi."

"So, my name's Sophia. I'm born and raised in Texas. I live in Austin because I'm going to college here. I have an older brother and sister. My sister's name is Adriana and my pain in the ass and overly protective brother is named Edmundo, but honestly, he hates it and I don't blame him. He usually goes by Eddie," she rattled off, laughing lightly, "oh, did I mention that my last name is Diaz?"

As the wheels turned in Buck's mind, he finally connected the dots and gasped, turning to look at his boyfriend, "did you know?"

"That I have a younger sister? Yeah, I guess I'll claim her," Eddie laughed, "and I had no idea she worked here and now her text makes so much more sense."

"Wait, so you're..." Buck turned to look at her, "you're his sister?"

"Yep," she nodded, "we actually met back about a year ago. It was at his swearing-in to be a firefighter after his probationary year was over. You were in a cast and I think more focused on my brother and nephew than you were anyone else; and now I know why."

Buck's cheeks returned to the deep red shade they had been, "uh, I..." He closed his eyes a moment to gather his thoughts, trying to remember back that far, but it was just after the truck bombing and the tsunami had been a few months later, so he'd kinda forgotten faces from that far back, "I honestly don't remember, but it's nice to meet you now."

"You as well," she replied, patting his shoulder, "sorry if I scared you. Figured I'd mess with my brother's boyfriend a little before I introduced myself," she smirked.

"You definitely caught me off guard," Buck blushed.

"How do you think I felt when my brother called and told me he and his _boyfriend_ were coming to Austin," she eyed him, then shrugged, "wasn't quite shocked. Kinda saw it coming, because it was always 'Buck this' and 'Buck that' from him and Christopher."

"Really?" Buck turned to look at Eddie, "you talk about me to your family?"

"Of course. We love you," Eddie told him, rubbing his back gently.

"And Adriana and I can't thank you enough for being there for Eddie and Christopher. You have done more for them in the past few years than Sha..." Sophia sighed, deciding not to finish that sentence, so she moved on, "we're happy he's happy and they've found someone who wants to be in their lives," she smiled at him and then moved to stand, "and your food should be ready so I'm gonna go get it and we can chat more later."

"Thanks, sis," Eddie called out as she walked away, then leaned in and kissed Buck on the cheek, "sorry about that. I didn't realize she worked here."

"It's alright. I'm just glad she approves and seems like your other sister does, too," Buck replied, relaxing a little.

As promised, Sophia returned a few moments later with several large platters of barbecue and sides, along with extra napkins and some other additions, "alright guys, enjoy. I'll be around," she rested her hand on Buck's shoulder, "Eddie and I were chatting about getting together this week while you're here. Join him," she told him, "I wanna get to know you."

Buck nodded at her and smiled, "sounds like a plan and I definitely feel the same way.

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N4: Sorry it's been so long since our last update! We quickly realized that an intensive 6-week history class is not conducive to creative writing when a 15-page paper is involved for one of us. Don't worry. It's been finished and our next update should come sooner than this one did, LOL! Thanks for all the support, comments, and kudos. We haven't had a chance to respond to many comments, but we appreciate them all and they definitely encourage us to keep going. Chapter 14 will be the final chapter in this story but don't worry, this universe is far from over! You'll notice now that this story is 'Part 1' in the 'Family With A Twist' series.  
> A/N5: If you have any ideas of things you'd like to see happen in this universe or just see us write in general, feel free to drop the idea in the comments and we'll see what we can do.


	14. Family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Spoilers: Up to 911: Lone Star (TV 2020) 1x10 ~ Austin, We Have A Problem & 911 (TV) 3x18 - What’s Next?; just to be safe  
> Disclaimer: We don't own 911 or 911: Lone Star! We are just borrowing the characters and ideas for the fun of writing, *but* we do own the original characters, original plot, and other original ideas.  
> A/N1: We edited this, so all mistakes belong to us.  
> A/N2: Feedback keeps us writing, so please comment or review. :D
> 
> ~*~
> 
> Underlined text: quotes from the show - we don't own. Just borrowing for this work of fiction.

~*~

Filling Buck's palette with as much Texas barbecue as they could, and chatting with Sophia every once and a while when she'd swing by their table, the four men finally paid their bill, tipping Sophia more than normal, before heading off to their next stop in Austin.

From the street, the inconspicuous brick building shifted into the familiar front of a fire station, as Carlos pulled into the driveway and parked in one of the visitor spaces, while the new arrivals took in the view of the open bay doors and the fire trucks of the 126. The ambulance was missing from its usual space, but the main fire engines were settled in their usual locations, front, center, and ready to dash out at any alarm.

"Wow, nice new fire trucks," Buck noted, once they all got out and began to walk up to the building, "definitely would not want one of these to end up on top of me."

Eddie groaned, "joking about that is still not funny, Evan."

"It's better than reliving it in my dreams or having it happen again," Buck replied, reaching out to drape an arm around Eddie's shoulder, "so please let me joke about it while I'm awake."

"I'm glad you've gotten there, really, but I haven't yet," Eddie told him, leaning into Buck's embrace, as they walked the rest of the way inside and over to the kitchen area.

Hearing the pitter-patter of feet and a jingling noise, the guys all looked to see a four-legged Bernese Mountain dog barreling towards them excitedly. TK knelt to greet the dog, but Buttercup breezed right past him and went right to Buck, with a wagging tail and happy whimpers.

"Oh, my God! You must be Buttercup!" Buck excitedly knelt down to let the dog get closer and in just a moment, Buttercup was licking his cheek and nuzzling him as if he was his new best friend, "hey there, buddy, aren't you the cutest thing ever," Buck grinned, gently petting the dog and scratching behind his ears.

"I'm... What just happened?" TK gasped, blinking in surprise, "did he just ignore me?"

Eddie pulled back from the interaction and couldn't help snapping a photo, "Hen calls him a golden retriever, so she's gonna get a kick out of this," he explained, quickly sending the photo to the 118's group text.

"Aw, don't take it personally, little brother. You know he enjoys new shiny toys. He'll remember you when he has to eat or go to the bathroom," a deep voice drawled near them.

Hearing the familiar voice, Eddie's eyes widened and immediately turned to see his cousin, "Judd? What... I..."

"Hey there, cousin," Judd nodded, "surprise!" He added with a laugh as he walked towards him to drape an arm around his shoulders to give him a quick hug.

"Hey, back! I had no idea you were here at this station. Mom never told me! Wait, so you were here... That's when you were in the hospital!" Eddie noted as he realized the significance.

"Lost a lot of great people that day, but thank God I wasn't one of them," Judd commented softly, "not ready to meet my maker yet, and it sounds like our biological and extended family has had way too many close calls this past year, so I think we all could say that," he eyed him.

"So you saw what happened to me a few months ago," Eddie commented, not even needing to ask; he knew TK had been at the station when they were watching it, so Judd could easily have watched it, "we've all been through a lot."

"Yeah, but now's not the time to get into it," Judd replied, "you got a free morning sometime this week we can catch up? Grace would love to see you."

"If you guys wanna go tomorrow morning, go for it. I don't plan on rushing to do anything," Buck laughed, "and I know you're an early riser."

Eddie turned to look at Judd, "would that work for you guys?"

"Yep," Judd nodded, "well, I'll double-check with Grace, but if she's free, I can pick you up on my way home from work. Make sure we have each other's number before you leave," Judd then turned to look at Buck and held out his hand, "howdy, I'm Judd Ryder."

"Evan Buckly, uh, Buck," Buck replied, shaking Judd's hand, "so you guys are cousins? How did I not know this?" He looked at TK.

"I forgot to mention it, sorry," TK shrugged.

"Judd's mom and my mom are sisters," Eddie explained, "and I knew he was a firefighter, but not what station he worked in."

Before Buck could respond to that news, footsteps nearby caught their attention and as soon as he saw Owen walking down the stairs, he moved towards him and threw his arms around him, "hey, dad!" He greeted, hugging him tightly.

Owen laughed lightly as he wrapped his arms around Buck, returning his hug and rubbing his back, "hey, kid. Long time no see."

Buck pulled back and rubbed his neck nervously, "yeah, sorry about that. I guess I got caught up in things in LA."

"You don't have to apologize. As long as you're happy and you know you're always a part of our family, it's all good. Now, where's this boyfriend I need to approve of?" Owen wondered as he and Buck began to walk over to where Carlos, TK, Eddie, and Judd were standing.

"Captain Strand, it's a pleasure to meet you," Eddie started, holding out his hand nervously, "I'm Eddie Diaz."

Owen took Eddie's hand, squeezing it firmly while sizing him up, "nice to meet you, Eddie," he started, then took a deep breath, his hand still gripping Eddie's, "I've got some questions for you. Are you ready to answer them?"

"Um... I mean..." Eddie spluttered out nervously. He was glad Buck had somebody that looked out for him and cared for Buck. He just wished he was not so nervous to meet Owen.

"Dad, I can vouch for him. He's good for Evan," TK assured the older Strand, smirking at the uncomfortable body language Eddie was showing.

"Ah, heck, Cap, give the guy a break, he did just get here, and he's my family. You trusted me, so you can trust him," Judd added.

"Thanks, everyone, but I've got nothing to hide. If he wants to ask the hard questions, I'll answer them," Eddie replied honestly, glancing at Judd and then to his boyfriend.

"Great! Then let's go have a chat," Owen clapped him on the back, guided him away from the group, and towards the stairs.

"Dad, where are you going?" TK asked, glancing around, "where's the rest of the crew?"

"The gym. We're going to the roof. There are fewer eavesdroppers up there," Owen told them, "and don't worry, commitment number two still applies."

"What's commitment number two?" Buck asked quickly, eyes widened as Eddie easily went upstairs with Owen, turning to look at TK, "well?"

"Dad's got three rules or commitments to 'his people'," TK told him simply, "One is 'everybody who clocks in will also clock out', and number three is 'no one gets left behind when it comes to skincare'," TK laughed lightly.

"What's two?" Buck asked again, unable to hide the nerves from his voice.

"Two is 'everybody gets a fair shake'," TK explained, not wanting to keep Buck in suspense any longer, "so that was his promise he'll give Eddie a fair chance, but ultimately if dad throws him off the roof you know he doesn't approve," TK winked.

Buck's eyes widened and dashed towards the stairs, but before he could get up them, three others were coming down the stairs, blocking Buck's path.

"Hey! You must be Buck," Mateo greeted, patting him on the shoulder as he passed.

"Don't go up there. Cap's taking your boyfriend to the roof; it's serious," Marjan grinned teasingly, glancing him over, "but if you and Eddie don't work out, I'll apply for the position."

"Oh hell no! We don't need two hotheads in one relationship," Judd called out from across the room.

"Buck, come back here and meet the team properly," TK added, eyeing his brother.

Wanting to make a move to go upstairs, but seeing as the third person hadn't moved from the steps, Buck realized he wasn't going to get by, "I swear, if Eddie gets hurt because of any of you, I'll throw y'all under an exploding fire truck!"

"I don't get it," Mateo commented.

"He said 'y'all'!" Marjan smirked.

TK laughed and moved towards Buck and rested his hands on his shoulders, "Evan, relax. You're freaking out for nothing. Eddie's perfect for you and dad's going to see very quickly that he's all in with you."

Buck took a deep breath, trying to relax, "yeah, I know. I just want dad and Eddie to get along."

"I know," TK nodded, "they will. Have a little faith."

~*~

Eddie knew going to the fire station that he'd be meeting a man who Buck considered a father. He swore to himself that he'd take anything Owen could throw at him because Buck was family and he'd do anything he could to prove that. He just didn't expect to be taken to the roof of a two-story building to 'talk' and the shocked looks on three faces when he followed Owen told him he should be worried.

Once they were on the stairwell to the roof, Eddie couldn't help speaking up, "uh, Captain Strand, I'm all for having a conversation, but the roof?" Eddie asked softly.

Owen glanced behind him, "I meant what I said. There are ears all over this place. My team, my son included, happily eavesdrop whenever they want to know what's going on," the man admitted, pushing a door open and stepping out onto the roof, "so join me in my secondary office."

"Alright," Eddie nodded, moving out into the warm Austin air. Surprisingly, Eddie noticed a few benches up there, so it looked like this was used often.

"Have a seat," Owen commented, taking a seat on one of the benches that overlooked the city nearby, "so I heard you're from Texas originally."

"Yeah, raised in El Paso," Eddie explained easily.

"And you and Judd are related?" Owen glanced at him, "how?"

"Our moms are sisters. He and I grew up close, but since there's an age difference, we grew apart after he got out of high school. We see each other online, but we're not as close as we used to be. I didn't even realize he was a member of the 126 when I heard about what happened," Eddie told him.

"Wait, you didn't know Judd would be here?" Owen gasped, "I thought TK would have told you guys months ago when they first figured it out."

"No," Eddie shook his head, "it's news to me, but it's nice to see him again. About time we reconnect."

Owen nodded and took a deep breath, taking a moment to look out over the city, "in our line of work, there's no time like the present."

"That is true," Eddie agreed.

"So you and Evan seem to be doing well," Owen stated, knowing he wanted to get to the point; the others wouldn't let them be up there for long.

"We are," Eddie smiled, leaning forward in his seat and resting his elbows on his knees, "we couldn't be happier."

Owen gathered his thoughts, "I'm glad to hear it, but that's what I thought of TK in his last relationship. Do you know what happened in New York?"

Eddie had a feeling he knew where this was going, "I, um, know that he overdosed after a bad breakup, but I don't know all the details."

"TK thought he was in love with his ex, Alex. He thought he was his soulmate," Owen explained, "when he proposed and Alex tells him he's seeing someone else. TK, admittedly shocked, went, got drugs that he'd been clean from for some time, and overdosed. I found him on his floor the next morning, his heart had stopped, and if I hadn't gotten there when I did, he would be dead. I'm sure as a father you can understand how broken and helpless I felt at that moment."

"My son is a lot younger, but I do understand. If it wasn't for Evan, Chris probably would be dead," Eddie responded, "he protected him during the tsunami that hit LA and I know when I saw Evan at the field hospital, he was trying to tell me how they'd gotten separated during one of the surges of water. At that moment, I was trying to hold it together, but I felt helpless that I couldn't protect my son. Never once did I think of anger towards Evan and before I began to truly freak out, another group arrived at the hospital and Chris was with them. I remember grabbing onto him and not wanting to let go, so I get it. I know it's a different situation, but as a dad, yeah, I get it."

"So you'll understand when I say that Evan is a son to me and I'll do anything to protect him, and I know TK feels the same way," Owen turned to look at Eddie, "so if you hurt Evan, TK and I will make sure you never make that mistake again."

"I can't promise a lot," Eddie started, but as he locked gazes with Owen, he confidently continued, "you know our job is dangerous, so I won't promise that I'll always come home from work, but I can say that I will never do anything, intentionally, to hurt him. I love him and he's family, just as much as Christopher is, and they always will be. Evan will always have my heart and loyalty and I wouldn't have it any other way."

Owen gathered his thoughts and let what Eddie said sink in, before nodding and holding out his hand to Eddie, "now that's a promise I can accept." When Eddie took his hand and they shook, Owen squeezed it tighter, "I have just one question. You have a son, from a previous marriage to a woman. Is Evan the first man you've been with? I don't think I need to ask the other question after what you just said, but I will anyway, this isn't some experiment, to see if you really want to date guys in general, is it?"

Eddie had expected this question to come up; if not from Owen, then from TK or anyone else they ever talked to about their past relationships. He knew one day he'd have to figure out something to say, and he had been thinking of how to respond and felt like he had an easy way to describe, "so, at the 118, our turnout coats are black with yellow accents," Eddie paused, getting a raised eyebrow from Owen, but he continued, "and I saw the turnouts you guys have. They are black with pink stripes. And where I grew up, firefighters all wore yellow turnouts with white accents. That was what I expected everyone to wear, but when I joined the LAFD, I learned there were more versions out there." Eddie could see the older captain trying to follow, but he knew he'd have to get to the point before he lost Owen, "what I'm trying to say is that as I grew up, I thought one way, but when I got older and saw more of the world, I now find I don't care what color turnouts firefighters wear, as long as they protect them. I also learned that they are protected, regardless of the firefighter's gender." ( _See #1 below for credit!_ )

As he listened to Eddie, following along to figure out what his analogy was supposed to represent, Owen picked up on it by the end of his explanation, "so even though you've been married to a woman, you fell for Evan for who he is as a person, not what gender he is?"

Eddie nodded, "exactly."

~*~

Knowing Eddie and Buck had only been together a short time as a couple, Owen was content with what Eddie had shared, trusting they had a great start. Not wanting to be gone long, to keep Buck and TK from worrying too much, Eddie and Owen returned to the common area of the firehouse, finding Buck, TK, Carlos and the team sitting around the dining table.

Immediately seeing Eddie return, Buck jumped up and moved right towards him, "are you okay?" He gasped, looking him over, "I swear, dad's just overprotective!"

"As he should be," Eddie responded with a smile, snaking his arms around his boyfriend's waist, "relax. We're good."

"Yes, I brought him back in one piece, for now," Owen promised, laughing lightly at the two. "TK did you give Evan a tour of the house yet?"

"No, we were waiting for Eddie to get back," TK admitted.

"Well, before we get called out," Judd got up and moved over to his cousin, "lemme make sure I've got your number, so we can connect about tomorrow. I already talked to Grace and she's planning to meet us before her shift."

"Oh, awesome! I haven't seen her in years," Eddie admitted, pulling his phone out.

"Enjoy tomorrow morning. I plan to sleep through it," Buck laughed, patting his boyfriend's shoulder as he moved back over to the table where everyone was sitting.

"Same here," TK added, "I'll probably only wake up long enough to kiss Carlos when he goes to work."

"Oh, Cap lets you have sleepovers with your boyfriend?" Marjan laughed.

TK grinned brightly as he draped an arm around Carlos' shoulders, "only on the nights when he isn't home so he doesn't have to hear anything."

"Then it's definitely a good thing dad's at work tonight," Buck wiggled his eyebrows at Eddie, causing his boyfriend's cheeks to flush.

"Tyler Kennedy Strand and Evan Issac Buckley!" Owen shook his head, "that discussion is bordering on inappropriate for the workplace."

"Wow! Full names!" Carlos laughed.

"Your middle name is Issac?" Eddie looked at Buck, "how did I not know this?"

"Because I hate my middle name!" Buck responded, turning to glare at Owen, "seriously?"

"Hey, I'm the parent in this family. You're lucky I'm not grounding you for the language."

"And what would the punishment be?" TK wondered, eyeing his dad.

Owen returned TK's gaze with a smirk, "Eddie and Carlos could be staying at Carlos' house tonight."

~*~

TK was shocked at his dad's suggestion, but before anyone could respond, the alarm sounded, signaling to the crew it was time to get back to work, leaving Eddie, Buck, TK, Carlos, and Buttercup at the station.

Without knowing how long the team would be, TK gave them a quick tour of the station, before they, along with Buttercup, climbed back into Owen's Jeep and headed for the Strand residence.

Once inside, TK showed Eddie and Buck to the guest room, across the hall from his own room, and gave them a quick tour of the house, before the four settled in the living room on the various couches.

"Alright, I have to ask. Why don't you like your middle name?" Eddie wondered, glancing at his boyfriend who was currently tucked against his chest.

Buck sighed, "my parents didn't want me to be a junior, so instead, they made my dad's first name my middle name," he told him with a shrug, "and obviously I didn't have a good relationship with my parents, so I hate my middle name."

Eddie nodded, reaching up to brush his hand over Buck's cheek, "sorry, Amor," he whispered, "you'll always be Buck to me."

"Good, because that name is sticking around. My parents hated that as my nickname and I've always liked it," Buck smiled.

"What if you guys get married? If you get rid of 'Buckley' then where is Buck coming from?" TK wondered, eyeing his brother.

Buck opened his mouth to respond, but then didn't know what to say, so he closed it, sinking closer to Eddie as if he was trying to get him to speak for them.

"Why are you shy all of a sudden? TK's asking you, not me," Eddie wondered, rubbing his boyfriend's back as he looked at him, "I don't think I've ever known you to shy away from a conversation."

As Buck looked up, his cheeks were flushed, "um, because I don't know how to respond to that," he admitted honestly, then glanced at Eddie, "I never thought I'd get the chance to consider changing my name."

Eddie leaned in and pressed a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "why don't we make a plan to talk about that someday?" Eddie offered, "because there's a lot of things we could do."

Buck's cheeks continued to flush as he nodded, "I'd like that."

~*~

As much as the four friends wanted to stay up and talk, Eddie and Buck were getting tired; they'd been up early to make sure Chris was ready for camp and to double-check they were packed for their trip, so they eventually said good night to TK and Carlos and headed for bed, Buttercup surprisingly following Buck into the bedroom.

"I'm not sure if I should be upset or happy that Buttercup is following Buck around," TK commented.

"Well, that pout looks more like you're jealous," Carlos laughed, "I wonder what you'd look like if I had followed him around."

TK shifted to crawl on top of Carlos, straddling his hips, "you're not gonna get that far," the young firefighter replied, snaking his arms around his boyfriend's shoulders, "and I don't think Eddie would let you."

Carlos laughed, "yeah, us Texans are really protective over what's ours."

"Oh, really? Never would have guessed that," TK smirked, settling against his lap, then leaned in to press a kiss to his boyfriend's lips, "but that's kinda hot."

"Easy Tiger, at least let our friends get to sleep before we interrupt them," Carlos grinned, his hands coming to rest on TK's hips, "we could do some talking."

TK sighed, "but we talk all the time. I don't get you all to myself every night anymore." 

Carlos couldn't help laughing lightly at his comment, "you talk like I've got another boyfriend on the side."

"That's not even funny," TK snapped, moving off Carlos to come to sit on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest.

Immediately, Carlos realized what he'd said, "oh, Tyler, I'm sorry," he scooted closer to TK, draping his arm around his shoulder, "I didn't realize what I was saying until I said it. You know that's not true."

"I know," TK nodded, "it just still hurts. I've moved on and I'm happy, but it's just..."

"Raw wounds take a lot of time to heal," Carlos chimed in and when TK nodded, he pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I know," he repeated, leaning into Carlos' chest, "I just hate that it still bothers me. I'm past Alex. I'm past what he did to me, but just the thought of..."

"Sounds like someone else is getting protective of what's his," Carlos smirked.

"I guess I am. I'm protective over the people I care about," TK admitted.

"So tell me about your brother, what you can share at least," Carlos wondered, knowing TK couldn't share all of Buck's personal details, but he knew there was some history he could share.

"We met when we were in high school. I was a few grades younger than he was. Both of us were playing soccer and met during a tri-state competition. Got to be best friends pretty quickly. His parents were workaholics and not really around. They were more focused on how much money they could make and figured it would make everything better. I've never met them and honestly, I never want to. I wouldn't have anything nice to say to them, and neither would my dad. At least while dad's parents had money, they still cared about their kids' lives and showed up once and awhile. As soon as Evan was old enough to be left alone, his parents would jet off to some destination to play golf with friends or whatever, so he just started playing a bunch of sports to have something to do and they'd give him money for it. They didn't even show up to his graduation. After that, he packed up everything he cared about and came to NYC to go to college. When he and dad met, dad saw the lonely kid looking for a parent to give a shit, so dad became that for him. He might have been legally an adult, but he was still a kid. We both were. Anyway, we grew close while he was in college and he lived with us for a few years. When I graduated, he was close to finishing college and when he did, he told us he loved us and appreciated us being there for him, but he needed to get away for a while. We promised him that we'd always be there and when he headed to South America for his trip, we dropped him off at the airport and told him that while he may not be named 'Strand' he was one. That was the last time I saw him, until LA. Sure we kept up with each other on Facebook, but it's not the same. And I was going through a lot, substances and work and other things, but he never stopped telling us he missed us and thanking us for taking him in, and we'd always remind him he was family. That's what he needed."

Carlos wasn't exactly sure what he'd get from TK when he asked, but all of that was definitely not what he expected, "damn. That's a lot."

TK laughed lightly, "well, you asked."

"Yes, I just didn't expect all of that. Maybe some of it, but wow. He's been through a lot," Carlos replied, making sure he kept his voice low so it didn't travel too far.

"Yeah, you could say that, but after everything he's gone through, he's definitely come out on top as far as I'm concerned. He's got a good job he enjoys, he has a significant other who loves him and a small family," TK smiled happily, "he's doing well for himself."

"Do you say the same thing about yourself?" Carlos wondered, eyeing his boyfriend.

TK contemplated his question, "um, maybe?" He thought out loud, "I'd like to say I'm getting there. I have my home figured out and I am definitely happy with where we are and how our relationship is growing. I know I've matured a lot since moving here, but I feel like I'm still working on some things. I mean, I'll always be working on the addiction, but at least my counselor and sponsor think I'm on the right track. Is that an okay answer?"

Carlos draped his arm around his boyfriend's shoulders and hugged him, "it's more than an okay answer. You're doing amazing, and I'm always going to be right here by your side. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks," TK smiled at him as he leaned into his chest, "I really enjoy having someone next to me."

"Care to take that to bed?" Carlos wondered, glancing in the direction of the stairs, "and we can really be _next_ to each other."

~*~

Buck was not expecting to get up with Eddie, but when his boyfriend got dressed and headed downstairs in the Strand household to wait for Judd, Buck joined him, Buttercup following him close by. Easily maneuvering around the kitchen, the guys pulled together a pot of coffee and entertained the Bernese Mountain dog.

"I wish we could get a dog," Buck announced as he threw a stuffed frog across the kitchen for Buttercup to fetch.

"No," Eddie said firmly over his coffee, "and do not say that around Christopher or he'll want one, too. We don't have the time to give the dog a proper life; they'd be alone a lot and that's not fair to them."

Buck glared at his boyfriend, "and that's why I said 'wish'. I know that. Maybe we could start small with a cat?"

Eddie groaned just as the front door of the house opened and Buttercup dashed off to greet the arrival, "I'm not changing a litter box." Eddie responded, hearing Owen's voice, before seeing the man and Judd walk into the kitchen.

"Morning guys," Owen greeted, "sleep okay?"

"Oh God, yes! I don't know what kind of mattress you have up there, but I love it," Buck replied with a grin, "I slept better than I have in months."

"And what are you trying to say? My bed isn't good enough?" Eddie retorted.

"Babe, it's ancient. When I move in, we're getting rid of it and using my bed. At least I can spread out a little in it," Buck smirked.

"When?" Eddie raised a curious eyebrow at him, knowing they hadn't talked about that since he brought it up months ago, "uh, yeah. That's fine."

"Okay, enough bed discussion. Ready to go?" Judd wondered, glancing at his cousin.

Eddie finished his coffee cup and nodded at him, "yep, lead the way," Eddie replied, moving around the island to press a kiss to his boyfriend's forehead before waving 'bye' and following Judd out of the house.

Once the door closed, Owen glanced at Buck, "you guys moving in together?"

Buck took a deep breath, "maybe. Yeah, I think so," Buck laughed, "sorry, I know that's weird. Um, Eddie brought it up a few months ago, but I wasn't sure I was ready for that at the time," he started, "but I've had some time to think about it. When I'm in my loft, it's so bare and lifeless, then I go over to Eddie and Christopher's and it's warm and inviting and makes me feel at home. My lease is up at the end of the month and there's no reason to renew a lease for a place I'm rarely at. When I'm not working, most of the time I'm at the Diaz house, so why not make it my home? It feels right," Buck explained, "or do you think I'm rushing things?"

Owen moved to sit down on a stool next to Buck and looked at him, "living with your significant other, no matter the gender is a big step, especially if they have a child. I'm twice divorced, so I don't have the greatest track record with relationships, but I'm glad that my second ex-wife wasn't involved in TK's life that much, so when we got divorced, he wasn't affected much by it."

"Well, I'm not sure if Eddie told you, but his ex-wife passed away a little over a year ago, so she and her family are not involved in their lives now and I would never do anything to hurt Christoper. I love that kid and have long before I was really interested in his dad. That's never going to change, no matter how my relationship with Eddie progresses. Protecting Christopher is the top priority in both of our lives," Buck admitted.

Owen couldn't help being a little shocked at how much his son had fallen for the Diaz family, both Eddie and Christopher individually as well as them as a whole, "wow, son," he rested his hand on Buck's shoulder and squeezed it, "I think you answered your own question. I'm so proud of you and happy that you've found them. They sound like they're the family you've needed all along."

"You, TK and Maddie are still family, don't forget that, because I never will," Buck replied with a smirk, "but they've just filled in an empty place I didn't realize I had."

"That they did," Owen confirmed proudly, motioning to the couch nearby, "come on. We've got a lot to talk about. Like maybe filling in your dad on how you ended up in LA as a firefighter?"

Buck laughed lightly, as he followed Owen and Buttercup to the couch, where they sat down to talk. "When I went to South America, I ended up spending the whole summer bartending. It was definitely not what I planned to do, but honestly, it gave me a chance to talk to people and figure out what direction I wanted to take my life," he started, "and I only came back to the US when I did because I'd gotten an email that I'd been accepted to SEAL training in San Diego. I wanted to do it because I wanted to help people, but they just wanted machines and I wasn't able to turn my emotions off as they needed, so I DOR'd."

"DOR?" Owen questioned, not familiar with the military term.

"Means drop on request. I rang the bell and dropped out of the program. Was in Southern California and had some money saved up, so I headed to LA, found a room to rent on Craigslist, and knew of only one other job that helped people, so I applied to the LAFD. Did the training and got placed at the 118 just after graduating from the academy," Buck smiled, "hoped one day I could be like my dad and brother."

Owen smiled at him, "oh, you're definitely a Strand, even if your birth certificate doesn't say I'm your father," he explained, then took a deep breath, "which means, if I had known the firefighter crushed by a truck was you, I would have been there in a heartbeat. TK, too. Why didn't you call?"

"I didn't know how to start," Buck admitted honestly, sighing lightly as he gently pet Buttercup's fur. "We hadn't really talked in years and I didn't know if you still thought of me as your son. Honestly, I didn't know if I'd burned bridges with you because it'd been so long."

"You're my son," Owen confirmed, "you never burned bridges and you never will. How are you doing from it now?"

Buck pulled up his pant leg, showing off his calf. A patchwork of scars in varying ages and colors decorated his limb from calf to thigh, "I didn't know when they took me into the OR if the doctor would be able to save it. Ended up with some rods and screws to hold things together while the bones healed. Eventually, they started taking things out, but the screws caused some clots and I had to go on blood thinners for a while. Once things healed, they removed things over time and I stopped the blood thinners. So far so good. Changes in temperatures bother it sometimes and when I'm on it for long periods of time it aches, but some Ibuprofen seems to be enough to help the pain."

"Man, you kids keep giving me gray hair," Owen groaned, "first I'm dealing with all of TK's stuff, now you've dealt with all that and you have a kid, who I haven't met yet. I just want to wrap all of you up in bubble wrap!"

"Well, you wouldn't be the first, but you won't be the last either," Buck joked, "and since I told you about my adventures recently, it's your turn..."

"I'm sure TK broke the news to you that I have cancer," Owen replied, knowing what he was getting at.

"Uh, yeah! And you hid it from him for how long?" Buck eyed him.

"I know it wasn't a good idea, but I didn't want to be weak in front of him," Owen told him.

"You don't look weak. You're still running a firehouse and getting chemo, that's not weak. It is crazy, though!" Buck replied, "look, I get it, you don't want to be away from the job and I didn't want to be away from my family for so long, so I fought like hell to get back and it was a rough road for a while. I rushed back too soon and ended up puking up blood on Bobby and Athena's patio because of it," Buck sighed at the story he'd been told, not remembering it at the time.

"Wait what?" Owen's eyes widened.

Buck took a deep breath, "that's how we found out I had blood clots from my screws. They thought one broke off and went to my lung from all the strenuous activity I was doing to come back too soon."

"Yeah, but that's an injury. Chemo is different. I get a little each week and it makes me feel like crud for a little while, but then I get through it. The treatments are working, too, and I won't be on them forever. Neither will Buttercup," he motioned to the dog.

"What about Buttercup?" Buck looked at the dog, who's ears perked up at his name.

"He has the same cancer I have and he's getting the same chemo also. That's how they knew the chemo would work for me because he'd been getting it and he'd been responding well. Now we're getting treatments and will kick this cancer's ass," Owen confirmed.

Before either could say anything else, Buttercup jumped up and darted towards the stairs where TK was coming down, half asleep and obviously following the smell of coffee. 

"Morning son," Owen greeted, turning a little on the couch to look at TK.

TK grunted something sounding like 'hey', before filling a cup with coffee.

Owen cleared his throat and turned to look at Buck, "are you sure you want children Evan? I haven't met Christopher yet, but if he's anything like TK, he'll still be living with his dad at twenty-six."

Buck laughed lightly when he saw TK roll his eyes, "I'm sure Christopher will be better behaved than TK when he's that age. I don't think Chris will be sleeping around with a significant other when guests are across the hall from his room."

"Oh, shut it, Evan! I know damn well you didn't hear us last night!" TK retorted, "we purposely kept it down!"

"You're right we didn't, but you just confirmed that you and Carlos _slept_ together, in your dad's house, _while_ he wasn't home," Buck smirked, "if I remember correctly, that'd get you grounded when we were younger."

Owen shook his head, groaning at the banter, "I'm so glad I got my second son later in life. I would have grayed at thirty if I'd raised them both from children," Owen paused, then looked at Buck, "Evan, stop tattle tailing on TK," his eyes turned to focus on TK, "TK, I know you're an adult, but we do have guests, so please be considerate of that," Owen then turned his gaze back to his other son, "and the same goes for you, too. If you two purposely annoy each other, I'll make Eddie and Carlos sleep at Carlos' house, and then you guys can wonder _all_ night if they're sharing a bed or not, because last time I talked to Carlos, he told me he had a one-bedroom apartment."

"You wouldn't!" TK's eyes widened.

With a smirk, Owen held up his phone, "Carlos and Eddie want me to like them. They'll listen if I tell them."

~*~

Calling a truce with the banter around Owen, the three moved on to continue catching up, settling in the kitchen while Buck threw together a small breakfast for them.

When Eddie got back from his morning with Grace and Judd, he joined the Strand family for a little while, before the three young firefighters took an Uber to town to do some sight-seeing. They were waiting for Carlos to get off work and meet them in the evening with the Jeep, and since it was TK's only day off for a few days, he wanted to spend as much time with Buck and Eddie as possible.

Knowing that everyone they came to visit would have to work throughout the week they were there, Buck and Eddie spent time with whoever they could when their schedules aligned, but the two visitors also made the most of their free time, sight-seeing and also taking some time to relax and recharge from the crazy year they had.

Buck and Eddie also made sure to get some extra time with Sophia while there. She even joined them, along with Carlos and the whole 126 crew, at Judd and Grace's home the night before Buck and Eddie were to leave for dinner. This meal solidified Buck and Eddie's place as family of the Strands and members of the extended 126 family. 

~*~

After an adventurous, but also relaxing trip to Austin, their time in Texas had come to an end. Carlos had said his farewells after dinner the night before since he had to work in the morning. He also got his car back from Owen and was able to return the Jeep to the Strands, so they could take Buck and Eddie to the airport in the Jeep.

Normally they'd drop the guys off at the departure area, but since it would be a while before they'd be able to visit LA, Owen parked the car so they could walk inside together. Once their luggage was checked, bags full of dirty clothes and gifts for Christopher, Maddie, Buck's soon-to-be niece or nephew, and the 118, they stopped at a coffee stand to get something to drink while they took their time to say 'goodbye'.

"Eddie, I can't wait to meet my grandson. Christopher sounds like an awesome kid and I'm so glad Evan has you two in his life. I know you will, but I can't help requesting that you continue to take care of him," Owen started, pulling Eddie into a quick hug while they waited for their orders.

"I promise, I will do everything I can to take care of and come home to Evan and Christopher and you guys are welcome to visit anytime," Eddie assured him as they pulled apart and he reached for his coffee, "and honestly, Chris and I are the lucky ones to have Buck in our life."

"We're gonna hold you to that," TK moved to give Eddie a quick hug before he got too into his coffee, "thanks for being there for Evan when we weren't able to be," he added, "and when we come back to LA, you gotta take us line-dancing again."

"Anytime and Evan's definitely worth it," Eddie promised, his eyes turning their focus on his boyfriend, who had a light tinge of pink coloring his cheeks.

TK shifted to hug Buck and tightened his grip on him, easily whispering, "he's a keeper, Evan. Don't let go."

As Buck returned TK's embrace, he smiled happily, "yeah, he is. I will."

When TK moved from Buck's arms, he and Eddie stepped a few feet away to give Buck and Owen a moment.

"I'm so proud of you, son," Owen smiled, stepping up to hug him tightly, "I'll always be there for you, but don't make it years that we don't talk okay?" Owen requested.

"It won't be, I promise," Buck confirmed, relaxing into the hug from his dad, "thanks, dad. I'm not making that mistake again."

"Good," Owen pulled back a little, resting his hand on Buck's cheek, "I love ya, kiddo. Be safe and don't make me call my sister to come check on you."

"Oh God, please don't do that!" Buck pulled back, laughing lightly, "Grandma, Grandpa or any of your siblings is totally fine, just not Lexi!"

Owen held up his hands, "alright, you keep in touch and I won't."

"Babe, we gotta get going," Eddie hated to interrupt, but he knew they had to get through security soon because the line was getting longer.

"Alright," Buck nodded and then turned back to his dad, "I'll see you soon. I promise," he smiled at Owen, not really wanting to step away, but he knew it was time and they would see each other again, so he easily grabbed onto Eddie's free hand when he finally stepped away from Owen.

TK moved to stand next to his dad, the two watching Eddie and Buck get into the winding security line, "it's good to have Evan back in our lives," TK noted happily.

"It definitely is. And it's really awesome to see both of my sons happy," Owen put his arm around TK's shoulder and gently turned them to leave, after sending one final glance to Buck and Eddie, "come on, let's go home."

As Owen guided him away, TK turned one last time to focus on where Buck and Eddie were, and his eyes locked with familiar blue eyes. Without saying anything, he smiled and nodded at him and without hesitation, his brother returned the gesture with a nod and a smile.

Across the airport, Buck easily returned his brother's smile and nod, their silent way of saying 'I love you and I'm happy for you'.

"Are you doing alright?" Eddie asked, noticing the last interaction between TK and Buck from the corner of his eye.

Buck tightened his grip on his boyfriend's hand as they stood in line, "I'm great! I'm glad to have them back in my life, and that we got some time together."

"Me, too," Eddie agreed, finishing off his small coffee, so he could throw it away when they got closer to the trash can, "you ready to get back?"

Letting another grin tug at his lips, Buck nodded and leaned in, pressing a kiss to his cheek, "yeah, I am. Let's go home."

~*~

The End ~ But Not Really!

~*~

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **References & Notes:**  
> A/N3: We’re sad we’ve come to the end of this story, but we hoped you liked it! We’ve definitely had a lot of fun writing it! Remember, this is now part of a series called ‘Family With A Twist’ and we have plans to revisit this universe a lot, so don’t worry! We’ll be back! Thank you all for the comments and kudos! We know we are horrible at responding to them, but we do read them and are very encouraged to keep writing because of them! Please let us know what you think of this last chapter and if there’s anything you’d like to see happen in this universe or with these characters, drop your ideas in the comments and we’ll see what we can do! Until then, thanks so much, and see you in the next fic!
> 
> (#1) While the turnout coat/color reference came from Buck, Eddie, TK, and Owen being firefighters, the analogy/metaphor idea we used is based on something from the TV series Schitt’s Creek! **This is our additional disclaimer - we do not own Schitt’s Creek!** We are just borrowing their idea for _this_ work of fiction! For those who have not seen the show, in Schitt’s Creek, episode ‘1x10 - Honeymoon’, David used types and colors of wine to describe his sexual preference to his friend Stevie. If you would like to watch the scene, you can find it on YouTube by searching: 'Schitt's Creek - The Wine Not the Label'!
> 
> For those who don’t remember, in the pilot of Lone Star, Owen explains his three ‘Commitments’ to his people. Again, we don’t own these quotes; they belong to the show. We’re just borrowing them for this work of fiction.  
>  **Captain Strand's Commitments to his people:**  
>  1\. Everybody who clocks in will also clock out  
> 2\. Everybody gets a fair shake  
> 3\. No one, and I mean no one, gets left behind when it comes to skincare.


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